Polish-American Freedom Foundation - Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program

2011-2012 Lane Kirkland Scholarships Program

The Polish-American Freedom Foundation - Founder of the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program, and the Polish – U.S. Fulbright Commission - Program Administrator, announce an open competition for candidates from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, as well as Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan for the Lane Kirkland Scholarships in the 2011-12 academic year.

The Program is addressed to young leaders, holding MA university degrees, who are determined to be actively involved in the development of democracy, economy and civil society in their countries and the region. The program includes two semesters of study at Polish universities and 2-4 week professional internships in public and private institutions.

FIELDS:

• Economics and Management
• Administration / management (i.e. business, NGOs, culture, environment protection and healthcare)
• Public Administration (Central and Local Government Administration)
• Law 
• Social Sciences (Social Psychology, Sociology)
• Political Science and International Relations
• Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid

CANDIDATES:
The 2011/12 Kirkland scholarships are addressed to individuals who are able to apply the knowledge and skills obtained in Poland to economic, social and democratic changes in their home countries, and who represent the following professional groups:

• civil servants, politicians, experts and employees of central and local government institutions 
• entrepreneurs, managers
• leaders of non-governmental organizations, animators in culture and civic activity
• academic teachers, researchers 
• journalists

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• Citizenship and permanent residence in one of the targeted countries
• individuals with a permanent residence card in Poland are ineligible
• Master’s degree 
• up to 35 years of age (in special cases up to 40)
• Polish language proficiency adequate to effectively attend lectures and seminars and prepare a diploma thesis, or, alternatively, English - for those candidates who select a specific study program with English as language of instruction (in such cases only basic Polish is required)
• minimum 2 years of professional experience

PREFERENCES:

• candidates actively working in their professional and social fields 
• candidates who have significant achievements in one of the fields listed above
• candidates who have not studied in Poland yet

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
1. Application form on-line
a) detailed personal questionnaire
b) proposed program of study in Poland explaining the purpose of participation in the Kirkland Program and including the future plans connected with its completion (not exceeding 4,000-6,000 characters)
2. Two letters of reference (in Polish, English or Russian), describing the achievements and qualifications of the candidate as well as the expectations connected with the candidate’s further development and work in her/his profession.
3. Copy of diploma (can be submitted electronically)

HOW TO APPLY:
Application form is available at: http://kirkland.edu.pl/form

Application forms should be filled on-line. After the on-line application is completed, the system will generate a confirmation document. The candidate is required to print out the document, sign it and send it to the Fulbright Commission by regular mail with a photo of the candidate attached.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED IN POLISH OR ENGLISH (only those candidates who select a specific study program with English as language of instruction).

Two letters of reference and copy of diploma should be scanned and send by e-mailed at: Kirkland@fulbright.edu.pl

Application form and relevant documents should be sent not later than March 1, 2011