A New Publication from IFP
Click below to download the latest publication from IFP: a collection of photos, stories and information about the program's history and impact.
Podcast with IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin
In this podcast, Executive Director Joan Dassin speaks with John Tulenko from Learning Matters.tv about IFP and social justice in higher education. "Who benefits from higher education? Are only the people who are already in elite sectors of society able to benefit? If that is true, then your higher education reinforces, rather than contests, social hierarchies and social inequality."
Dr. Dassin described the innovations of the IFP fellowship program, which awards scholarships for postgraduate study to leaders from underrepresented communities. Dr. Dassin also spoke about the concept of brain drain, and how IFP has designed policies to encourage Fellows to return to work in their communities after receiving their degrees.
"It's really a question about making sure that the choices are less stark...There has to be a way to maintain your social networks and the kind of the social capital that you accumulate through advanced study and put it at the service of your community. We ask Fellows not what they want to study, but what problems they want to solve."
Click here to LISTEN to the podcast
Click here to request a transcript of the podcast
Brazil Reports on 2009/10 Selection Process
IFP's partner in Brazil, the Carlos Chagas Foundation, held final selections for Brazil's 2009/10 Cohort on December 2-4, 2009 in São Paulo. CCF has developed a rigorous selection process that assigns each candidates a numerical score based on their probability of obtaining higher education. A Selections Committee then interviews each semi-finalist in teams of two. You can read about the selections process in Brazil here (Portuguese only).
Promoting Inclusiveness in Higher Education in Latin America
For the fall issue of IIENetworker, IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin contributed, “Promoting Inclusiveness in Higher Education in Latin America: A Policy Response,” an article focusing on inequalities in higher education in Latin America. In her piece, Dr. Dassin presents data on inequalities in higher education across several countries in Latin America and explores the role of fellowship programs such as IFP in redistributing educational opportunity at the post-graduate level.
Since 2001, IFP has selected nearly 900 Fellows in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Chile and Brazil, mostly from indigenous and Afro-descendent communities. In the process, IFP has developed a model for selection, training, and monitoring that increases access to higher education without lowering standards of quality, and also ensures that fellowship recipients from poor and marginalized communities return home and remained engaged in social development work after completing their studies.
The cover photo of IIENetworker is by Sandra Sebastián, an IFP Fellow from Guatemala who is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Visual Anthropology at the Universitat de Barcelona in Spain.
IIENetworker is a publication of the Institute of International Education. The online issue can be read here:
Download the article as a PDF:
IFP Presents at ILA Conference in Prague
IFP staff from India, Brazil, Russia and the Secretariat in New York presented papers at this year's annual convention of the
International Leadership Association (ILA), held in Prague, Czech Republic. IFP presenters Vivek Mansukhani, Fúlvia Rosemberg, Oksana Oracheva, Mary Zurbuchen and Joan Dassin offered IFP as a “Model of Social Justice Leadership through Higher Education.” Click
here to read more about the ILA conference.
IFP Featured at WISE Summit
IFP was featured at the first World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) held in Doha, Qatar on November 16-18, 2009. Over the course of the three-day conference, opinion leaders, decision makers and education experts from around the world met to discuss and find innovative and sustainable solutions to the world’s major educational challenges.
IFP Selects Its Largest Cohort and Announces Final Selections
This year’s cohort is IFP’s largest ever, with 553 Fellows selected from 22 countries. As Ford Foundation President Luis Ubiñas noted, “IFP’s impact has reached far beyond the Fellows...It is reshaping how governments, universities and other scholarship programs are thinking about building diverse and talented leaders committed to our most pressing global issues."
In 2009, final selections were held in Russia, the Philippines and Palestine. All other sites will hold their final selections in 2010, bringing the total number of IFP Fellows to around 4,300.
Remembering Jim Sabourin
Jim Sabourin, a dear friend of IFP and lifelong promoter of social justice passed away on Thursday, October 15th at the age of 45. For the past many years, Jim has worked at the Heller School for Social Policy and International Development at Brandeis University, where he was Director of International Admissions and Recruitment in the SID program.
A scholarship for African students has been established to honor Jim’s service to the Heller School, to Brandeis University and to the broader international development and service community. IFP would like to invite voluntary contributions to the scholarship fund from all our Fellows and colleagues around the world, especially those who benefited from Jim's care and support at Brandeis.
Dr. Joan Dassin Interviewed by Voice of America
- VOA News, 24 September 2009
For their Special English Education Report, Voice of America interviewed IFP executive director Dr. Joan Dassin about the history and achievements to date of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships program.
"People from all walks of life, and particularly from rural areas or marginalized communities, can have access to higher education at the most advanced levels, and our program provides that opportunity."
The interviewer noted that ninety-five percent of IFP Fellows are accepted into a university graduate program within one year of getting a fellowship.
IFP Organizes Panel on Indigenous Rights in Latin America
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - In June, the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) held its 28th International Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The theme of this year’s program was “Rethinking Inequalities.” As part of IFP’s alumni activities in Latin America, partners from Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile and Peru agreed to organize two panels featuring alumni from the region. IFP Mexico Director David Navarrete Gómez, (CIESAS, IFP Mexico) wrote about his experience organizing and moderating one of the IFP panels:
“IFP coordinated a panel at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, entitled
The Exercise of Indigenous Rights in Latin America: Problems, Progress and Proposals. Ours was the only panel at the LASA Congress comprised exclusively of indigenous speakers. Traditionally, indigenous scholars have been absent or barely visible at international events of this magnitude and nature."
IFP Fellows in the Netherlands Finish Pre-academic Training
In August, IFP’s partner in the Netherlands, NUFFIC, held a ceremony with the Centre for European Studies to celebrate the end of the intensive PAT (pre-academic training) program. Every year IFP supports a 2-4 month study period for fellows enrolling in universities in the Netherlands, to improve both English language skills and academic skills. PAT is given by the Centre for European Studies (CES) at the University of Maastricht.
Remembering Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh
On 1 May 2009, an inspiring figure and mentor for the IFP program in Vietnam passed away in Ho Chi Minh City. IFP partners in New York and around the world join with the Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam, IFP’s partner organization, in mourning Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, 78, renowned as an educator, advocate and tireless promoter of social justice.
Videos from the Global IFP Community
Film clips and videos produced by IFP partners around the world are now available for online viewing at
Vimeo. The videos feature interviews with IFP fellows and alumni, in which they discuss their backgrounds, their fellowship experiences, and the social inequalities they hope to address through their work.
The South African Story from Ford IFP on Vimeo.
Thailand Newspaper The Nation Profiles IFP
- The Nation, 31 August 2009
Bangkok-based newspaper The Nation profiled IFP in a recent article, "IFP Grant a Boon For Northeast." Jaruwat Kiatwong, IFP's program officer for Thailand, was interviewed about the fellowship program, which has selected more than 80 fellows from Thailand. "We have chosen applicants who demonstrate a determination to serve their communities after their graduation." In a survey of recent IFP alumni worldwide, 89% reported that their current job was related to their social commitment.
IFP Thailand alumna Pannee Samerpak (Cohort 2003) was also quoted in the article. "I had been an activist in the agricultural field when I saw the advertisement about IFP. I submitted my application because I thought it was great for IFP to just ask me to work for my community." After receiving her Masters in Development Management, Pannee founded the Organic Agriculture Centre under the Earth Net Foundation, to promote organic farming in Thailand's northeastern provinces. Ms. Samerpak's work was featured recently in this article from Oxfam East Asia.
Joan Dassin Delivers Keynote to Fulbright Scholars
Washington, DC – In June, Ford IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin delivered the keynote address at the orientation for U.S. Fulbright Scholars and Students traveling to Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean.
As the recipient of three Fulbright grants, Dr. Dassin reflected upon her own experiences as a Fulbright scholar in Brazil over thirty years ago.
A Tribute to Mandiba on His 91st Birthday
Dr. Wilmot James, a South African Member of Parliament, former Ford Foundation Trustee and a long-time friend of IFP, reflects on the leadership of Nelson Mandela.
“It is awe-inspiring to meet him,” the great science Nobel Laureate David Baltimore wrote of Nelson Mandela, as he is “one of the world’s few unalloyed heroes.” I had taken Baltimore to meet Madiba as the third speaker in the annual Nelson Mandela Science Lecture, a joint project of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Africa Genome Education Institute.
Presenting Beacons of Hope, a Film by IFP India
Beacons of Hope highlights the origins, journeys and returns of four India IFP Fellows, now alumni, and the challenges they faced on their way to becoming social justice leaders.
Watch Beacons of Hope from Ford IFP on Vimeo.
Produced by the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program, New Delhi and created by Moving Images.
Duration: 25 minutes
IFP Asia Director Meets with IFP Fellows Studying in Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand -- Mary Zurbuchen, IFP's Director for Asia and Russia, traveled with staff from IFP partners ASF and CEEVN to meet with senior university officials at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). AIT is an IFP partner university in Bangkok, Thailand. At their meeting, AIT university officials expressed an interest in working with IFP to ensure that AIT’s strong base of donor funding can be directed increasingly toward people from disadvantaged communities. Recent conversation has indicated ways in which AIT could partner with ASF and CEEVN in Vietnam in recruiting and preparing new students in a future iteration of the IFP methodology.
After the meeting, the group gathered with Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino Fellows studying at AIT. Currently at AIT there are more than ten Vietnamese Fellows, several Chinese, Filipino and Thai Fellows, and one Fellow from Nigeria due to arrive later this year. IFP Fellows have focused in a range of fields at AIT, including development studies, rural and regional planning, environmental management and agricultural sciences.
IFP Holds Regional Meeting in Peru
LIMA, Peru - IFP directors from Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Peru and Brazil gathered in Peru this April with staff from the IFP Secretariat, IIE/IFP and the Ford Foundation to discuss key issues in the Latin America region for 2009-2013.
New Book Argues that International Higher Education is Critical to Global Development and Social Justice
Edited by Toby Alice Volkman with Joan Dassin and Mary Zurbuchen; Social Science Research Council, New York
New York, NY – Expanding access to international higher education among the poor and marginalized is an essential and effective way to advance equitable global development, argues a new book about the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP).
University Hosts IFP Fellows and Chevening Scholars
On February 26th, the UK-based University of East Anglia (UEA) hosted an evening event for IFP and British Council Chevening scholars. The event was held at Dragon Hall in Norwich (a medieval building which has recently been restored) and was attended by several key academics and the University Pro-Chancellor. Twelve Fellows attended:
Russia:Elena Yamaeva
Tanzania: Naima Besta, Onesmo Kivuyo, Christopher Timbuka
Philippines Roger Dolorosa
India:Jay Shiv
Egypt:Atef Bakhoum
Q&A with Joan Dassin and Fulvia Rosemberg
The January/February issue of Education Alliance Quarterly features an interview with IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin and IFP Brazil Director Fulvia Rosemberg.
IFP Guatemala Fellows Featured in CATIE Newsletter
- CATIE Newsletter, January/February 2009
CATIE, an environmental sciences university and research institution, highlighted IFP alumni in a recent newsletter. The article features a commentary from IFP Guatemala coordinator Anabella Acevedo. “The quality of its academic programs, coupled with its efficient administration, has meant that year after year IFP sends its fellows to CATIE through IFP offices in Mexico, Peru and Guatemala,” she said. Ms. Acevedo mentioned two Guatemalan IFP fellows who studied at CATIE. "Magaly Arrecis López, who studied for a master’s in environmental socioeconomics (2004–2006) and Jerson Elizardo Quevedo Corado, who recently completed his master’s in integrated watershed management (2007–2008)." CATIE is the partner university in Latin America in which the largest number of IFP fellows has studied.
Making Strides South of the Sahara
- International Educator, November/December 2008
In keeping with IFP's mission to provide opportunities for advanced study to groups lacking access to higher education, the latest issue of International Educator highlights the importance of developing higher education opportunities in Africa and countering brain drain.
Filipino Fellows Celebrate Graduation at Home
After pursuing degrees in the UK, many IFP Fellows from the Philippines are unable to attend graduation ceremonies because their grants end before these ceremonies occur. In order to recognize the achievements of these Filipino Fellows, the British Council worked with IFP to host a conferment ceremony in the Philippines. After significant planning and coordination, the Conferment Ceremony was held in August at Marble Hall, the National Museum of the Filipino People, to honor 15 IFP Philippines grantees from Cohorts 2002 – 2006 who earned their degrees from different universities in the United Kingdom.
Chile's Investment Deepening Ties to U.S.
In a recent article, the Washington Post examines deepening ties between U.S. and Chile, spurred by partnerships to expand opportunities in higher education. The piece quotes the executive director of IFP’s partner organization in Chile.
Dr. Joan Dassin and IFP featured in Times of India
An interview with Dr. Joan Dassin, Executive Director of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program, was recently featured in an editorial published in the Times of India, India’s largest newspaper. The interview emphasizes the importance of IFP for building human capital to sustain India’s economic growth
Retiring President of the Ford Foundation Honored by Council on Foundations
- Council on Foundations Website, December 2007
Susan V. Berresford, retiring president and CEO of the Ford Foundation, has been honored by the board of directors of the Council on Foundations for her years of distinguished service and leadership to the field of philanthropy. The article details the highlights of Ms. Berresford’s career, and gives prominence to “a major new graduate fellowship program for thousands of marginalized men and women around the world”—the International Fellowships Program.
Chinese Graduate Student Applications to U.S. Schools Up Sharply
- April 26, 2007, USIFO.STATE.GOV
Two-thirds of all Chinese graduate students choose to study in the United States. In this U.S. Department of State article, Director of IFP-China, Keith Clemenger, weighs in on why that is and how this phenomenon has shaped IFP in China. To learn more about IFP in China please visit www.china-ifp.org.
Research scholars from the Kashmir University bagged 10 fellowships under the Ford Foundation International Programme
- Outlook India, December 7, 2006
10 Students from Kashmir University secure Ford Foundation International Fellowships
Ford sponsors 16 Ugandan postgraduate students
- African News, October 9, 2006
Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) has selected 16 Ugandans for postgraduate degree studies in various aspects of social justice. Fellows include those formerly abducted by rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda.
Scholarship Program to Train Future Leaders in the Developing World
In this interview with Voice of America News’ Carol Castiel, IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin talks about the additional $75 million Ford Foundation grant that will allow up to 900 additional Fellows to study under IFP. Dr. Dassin explains the early history of IFP, the reasons for its success, and the burgeoning alumni organizations. Dr. Dassin offers that because IFP’s success is based on broadening academic opportunities for individuals who are already exceptional social justice leaders in their communities, IFP's fellowship model could possibly be replicated successfully in other organizations to impact international social justice and development issues.
Ford Foundation $75 Million Grant Extends International Fellowships Program Through 2014
- An investment in IFP is an investment in international development." --Susan Berresford, President, Ford Foundation
On April 25, 2006, Ford Foundation President Susan Berresford announced an additional $75 million grant to the International Fellowships Program that would allow up to 900 additional Fellows to seek advanced degrees and training to address development issues in their own countries and communities. Ms. Berresford was joined by Senator Richard G. Lugar, chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, IFP Board Chairman Donald McHenry, IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin and seven current IFP Fellows, who shared their own personal stories about how the fellowship has impacted their lives. They all expressed enthusiastic support for the additional funding and its potential to increase the impact of already proven community leaders.
Ford Plans to Expand Global Fellows Program
- Chronicle of Philanthropy, April 20, 2006
The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program was featured in the April 20, 2006 edition of The Chronicle of Philanthropy. "One of the fellowship’s goals is to fight the global problem of ‘brain drain,’ in which the brightest minds from poorer countries leave their homes for the United States, Canada, or Europe," wrote Ian Wilhelm, adding that IFP "specifically seeks applicants who have strong ties to their homes, and are therefore likely to return once they graduate."
Ford Foundation Program Encourages Brain ‘Gain’ for Africa
- Voice of America Africa Service April 18, 2006
IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin was interviewed by reporter William Eagle of the Voice of America Africa Service on April 18, 2006. IFP, the program reported, "encourages the fellows to return home – by accepting those with a proven 'social commitment' to their countries…."
Wanted: Students who will lead their communities
- The Nation, March 27, 2006
"IFP will help you in your studies and you’ll help the people in your community when you return home."
- Thai student Oranuch Puongsuk, 31, Master’s degree candidate, Columbia University, United States
This article, appearing in the March 27, 2006 edition of the Thai newspaper The Nation, highlights several unique aspects of IFP and includes commentary from several IFP Fellows and IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin on how the program contributes to more sustainable international development efforts.
El Boletín IFP
The Chile/Peru IFP Bulletin, an initiative of "Fundacion EQUITAS," was designed to serve as a virtual meeting place for IFP Fellows and Alumni from both Chile and Peru to communicate and exchange knowledge, opinions, and points of view within the context of social justice and development.
The site, featuring an extensive library of material related to social justice and organized by 18 thematic strands such as gender, disability and health issues, can be accessed by all persons concerned with social justice with a quick click of the mouse. To date over 135 authors have written over 200 articles!
"Brain Drain Is Not Inevitable
- Inside Higher Ed, February 14, 2006
The effects of brain drain on developing countries and how IFP encourages its Fellows to return to their home countries after completing their studies are of major importance to the program. For a detailed discussion of these issues, see "Brain Drain Is Not Inevitable."
Healthy 'brain circulation' promotes more equitable global development
- Financial Times, February 2, 2006
Educated people should not become a commodity that only wealthy countries can attract and retain. On the contrary, skilled labor migration policies—in both source and destination countries—should encourage highly educated professionals to improve conditions in their home countries and communities. For an exchange about the role of education in today’s world, see the following article in the London Financial Times (January 31, 2006) and the reply of IFP Executive Director, Joan Dassin.
"The Best of our Knowledge
- WAMC, Albany October, 2005
IFP's Executive Director discusses program with Glenn Busby, host of radio WAMC-Albany’s “The Best of our Knowledge.” Highlights of the two-part series include IFP’s philosophy of increasing access and equity in higher education, how IFP addresses “brain drain,” and the goals of the Ford Foundation in supporting this groundbreaking program.
Wandering scholars
- The Economist, September 8, 2005
The faces of international education are changing. The number of students studying abroad has doubled in the last 20 years, and the students are no longer just the children of the elite and the privileged. This September 2005 Economist article outlines this changing trajectory in international education and also addresses the “brain drain” vs. “brain circulation” debate. The article also mentions the impact of programs such as the $280 million Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program, which is committed to investing in the education of previously untapped talent pools of students in developing countries.
"From Lothiyana to London
- Times of India Education Times, August 2005
"Tejram Jat is pursuing a joint master's degree in health policy, planning and financing from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health and the London School of Economics. He belongs to Lothiyana, a village in Chittorgargh District in Rajasthan. Tejram recounts his remarkable journey from Rajasthan to the UK."
Young Leaders for Social Change
- Times of India Education Times, July 2005
"If this story doesn't inspire you to reach for the stars and achieve your dreams – nothing can. Each of the 43 recipients of the International Fellowships Programme (IFP) 2005 have converted their limitations into strengths and have emerged as role models."
A Different Kind of Fellowship
- Inside Higher Ed, June 2005
"While the program is young compared to programs like the Fulbright or Rhodes Scholarships, it has major ambitions. Indeed, the Ford program aims to change the mindset of international exchange, rejecting a number of policies that are common in the major exchange programs."
Africa News & Features: Africans Among Recipients Of Ford Fellowships
- Voice of America, June 2005
"The long-range goal really is to assist in the formation of a new generation of social justice leaders. So, we believe that people from activist or academic backgrounds in this day and age of the knowledge economy and global forces need a world class education in order to be effective leaders for social change in their own countries and communities," says IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin.
Brain Gain, Not Brain Drain, Fosters Global Development and Security
- International Educator, May/June 2005
"Keeping the United States open to the world’s top international students is critically important, but U.S. higher education should not inadvertently contribute to “brain drain” in developing countries," writes IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin.
Access to Higher Education
Pamela Diaz-Romero, executive director of IFP's partner organization in Santiago, Chile, Fundacion Equitas, contributed this article in Spanish on access to higher education in Chile to one of the country's leading newspapers.
Ford Fellowship of the Future
- Dialogue Radio, Washington DC, October 2004
Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program Executive Director Joan Dassin was interviewed for Dialogue Radio in October 2004. Dialogue Radio is part of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.
Promoting Access and Equity in International Higher Education
- International Educator, Summer 2004
International Educator is a leading magazine for the international higher education community, published bi-monthly by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In this article, Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) Executive Director Joan Dassin describes the challenges that IFP faces in promoting greater equity and access in global graduate education.
IFF: Access to Higher Education for Excluded and Marginalized Social Groups
- CHEPS Unplugged, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2004
The Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) at the University of Twente, Netherlands, is collaborating with IFP on the evaluation of IFP Fellowship activities. Here, the CHEPS newsletter interviews IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin.
Ford Foundation President Susan V. Berresford writes about IFP
- President's Message: Ford Foundation 2001 Annual Report
"The I.F.P. responds to the world's need for new generations of outstanding leaders with direct knowledge of some of their societies' worst problems and inequities, and a sense of moral urgency about them."
The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program in the News
- "Getting the best out of Africa": Financial Times, April 27, 2002
"From the mountain villages of West Africa to the rice paddies of south-east Asia there are young people with the talent to become community and national leaders..."
Commentary at the International Fellowships Program Launch Event
- National Press Club; Washington, D.C.: November 29, 2000
Remarks by:
Susan V. Berresford, President, Ford Foundation
"Today, I have the pleasure of announcing the largest grant in the Ford Foundation's history. A grant of $280 million will create a 10-year program of fellowships for graduate study anywhere in the world by talented men and women in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Russia..."
Senator Richard Lugar
U.S. Senator from Indiana and senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
"On very few occasions do visionary ideas in the fields of politics, economics, and education intersect in such a well organized and generously funded international program as in the Ford Foundation milestone we celebrate today..."
Dr. Wilmot G. James
South African educator and journalist and Ford Foundation trustee
Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program 2006/7
Award Winners in South Africa
The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) announced the selection of 30 new Ford Foundation International Fellows from South Africa. Since the beginning of the program in 2001, 135 South Africans have been selected for this prestigious reward. IFP recipients are selected on the basis of IFP’s three basic criteria of academic achievement, strong leadership skills and potential, and commitment to the development of their communities and countries receive support for up to three years of post-baccalaureate study in an appropriate university program anywhere in the world. IFP especially seeks candidates from groups and communities that traditionally have had limited access to higher education.
Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program IFP Briefing
- National Press Club, Washington, DC, April 25, 2006
On April 25, 2006, the Ford Foundation pledged an additional $75 million grant to extend the work of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program through 2014. The formal announcement was made at a briefing at the National Press Club in Washington DC.
May 2005 - Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program & Fulbright Brazil Program Launch Cooperative Effort
The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) and the Brazil–United States Fulbright scholarship program have announced a new “Cooperative Initiative” to offer selected Brazilian IFP Fellows the opportunity to study for one year in the United States with Fulbright program support while pursuing doctoral studies in Brazil sponsored by IFP.
April 2004 - IFP Asia/Russia Regional Meeting Highlights Placement Issues
The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program is conducting a series of three regional meetings in late 2003 and early 2004 to assess and enhance its progress in advancing the program's core goal to provide fellowships to academically promising individuals with deep social commitment and outstanding leadership capacity, from groups or communities with limited access to higher education. The African regional meeting was held at the University of Sussex, England, in...
March 2004 - New Staff Join IFP
The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program is pleased to introduce two new staff members, Dr. Mary Zurbuchen, Director for Asia and Russia, and Pauli Yang, IFP Database Manager Consultant.
February 2004 - IFP Reviews Program Development in Africa and Middle East
Development of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program in Africa and the Middle East was reviewed at a four-day meeting at the University of Sussex, UK, in December 2003. Staff from IFP's International Partners in Egypt and Palestine Territories (AMIDEAST), Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal (Association of African Universities), Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania (Inter-University Council for East Africa), and Mozambique and South Africa (Africa America Institute) gathered to discuss challenges and achievements in implementing IFP in their countries and territories.
February 2003 - IFP Program Launches in Thailand
At a gathering in the northeastern Thai city of Khon Kaen attended by governmental officials, educators, and representatives of non-governmental groups, the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program welcomed Thailand to its ranks as the 22nd country or territory worldwide participating in the program. The formal launch on 28 February was attended by over 100 people, including Khon Kaen Province Governor Vicharn Jayanandana and Thai Member of Parliament Dr. Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, a native of northeastern Thailand.