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2009 THE FULBRIGHT SENIOR SPECIALISTS PROGRAM (FSSP)
Program Overview:
The Fulbright Senior Specialists Program is designed to provide short-term academic opportunities (two to six weeks) for U.S. faculty and professionals. Shorter grant lengths give specialists greater flexibility to pursue a grant that works best with their current academic or professional commitments. |
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Specialists roster candidates are limited to one Specialists grant per calendar year. Applications for the Fulbright Senior Specialists Program are accepted on a rolling basis, and peer review of applications is conducted eight times per year.
Program Goals:
• To increase the participation of leading U.S. scholars and professionals in Fulbright academic exchanges.
• To encourage new activities that go beyond the traditional Fulbright activities of lecturing and research
• To promote increased connections between U.S. and non-U.S. post-secondary academic institutions
Program Administration: Applicants apply throughout the calendar year for candidacy on the Fulbright Senior Specialists Roster. Peer review is conducted eight times each year. CIES builds lists of qualified Specialist candidates for each eligible discipline and facilitates matching Senior Specialist candidates with project requests.
Non-U.S. post-secondary academic institutions submit Senior Specialist project requests through the appropriate Fulbright agency in their country. Once approved by the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy, the Specialist project request is forwarded to the U.S. Department of State for final approval.
Fulbright Senior Specialist Roster: The Fulbright Senior Specialists Program differs from the traditional Fulbright Scholar competition in that the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) builds a roster of specialists in a variety of disciplines through an open application process. Applicants recommended by specialist peer review committees and approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board become candidates for Fulbright Senior Specialist projects.
Fulbright Commissions and U.S. Embassies access the Fulbright Senior Specialists Roster through a secure Web site. The roster is searchable by a variety of criteria including discipline and specialization.
Sample Fulbright Senior Specialists Activities: Fulbright Senior Specialist projects are designed to provide U.S. faculty and professionals with opportunities to collaborate with professional counterparts at non-U.S. post-secondary academic institutions on curriculum and faculty development, institutional planning and a variety of other activities. For example, grantees may:
• Conduct needs assessments, surveys, institutional or programmatic research at non-U.S. post-secondary academic institutions
• Take part in specialized academic programs and conferences in conjunction with other scheduled activities
• Consult with administrators and instructors of non-U.S. post-secondary institutions on faculty development
• Present lectures at graduate and undergraduate levels
• Participate in or lead seminars or workshops at non-U.S. post-secondary academic institutions
• Develop and/or assess academic curricula or educational materials at non-U.S. post-secondary academic institutions
• Conduct teacher-training programs at the tertiary level
Note: Personal Research is not funded via the Fulbright Senior Specialists Program.
Worldwide Coverage: The Fulbright Senior Specialists Program is active in all world regions. Countries eligible to participate in the program include those where there is a U.S. embassy or a Fulbright Commission. Lists of these countries can be found at http://usembassy.state.gov/ and http://fulbright.state.gov/
Eligibility Criteria: The Fulbright Senior Specialist Program is open to qualified U.S. scholars and professionals in the disciplines listed above. Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin and /or physical impairment. Applicants must meet all of the following minimum eligibility requirements. In matching candidates with grant opportunities, preference will be given to candidates with the most relevant professional experience.
• U.S. citizen at the time of application. Permanent resident status is not sufficient. If a naturalized citizen, applicant must provide actual date of naturalization.
• For academics, a Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree at the time of application plus a minimum of five years of post-doctoral teaching or professional experience in the field in which you are applying.
• For professionals and artists outside academe, recognized professional standing and substantial professional accomplishments plus a minimum of five years of professional experience in the field in which you are applying.
Note: Senior Specialists work with colleagues at non-U.S. post-secondary, academic institutions. In the application, professionals and artists outside academe should highlight 1) experience as a college/university teacher or trainer and/or 2) how their experience could benefit foreign academic institutions.
• Disclosure of prior conviction or current indictment for commission of a felony. Prior conviction or current indictment may result in disqualification.
• Employees, spouses or dependent children of the United States Department of State or public and private organizations under contract to the United States Department of State exchange programs are ineligible to apply for a Fulbright grant until one year after the employee's termination.
• Fulbright senior specialists must be residing in the United States at the time they are approved for a grant and intend to return to their U.S. institution after the grant's completion. Roster applicants or candidates need not necessarily be residing in the United States in order to be approved or accepted for the roster, but must be residing in the United States in order to receive a grant.
Note: To download the 2009 FSSP-Jordan Proposal Request: 2009 FSSP Project Request Form (JORDAN).doc
After State Department approval of the project, CIES contacts the preferred candidate indicated by the requesting institution or, for open requests, contacts appropriate Specialist candidates to ascertain their interest and availability for the project. CIES processes the grant and administers the grant payment for the candidate ultimately selected for the Specialist project.
Duration of Grants: The program will award grants ranging from two to six weeks and will make use of serial grants if deemed necessary.
Terms of the Grant: Grant benefits include international economy fare travel and approved related expenses plus a $200 per day honorarium. The honorarium is payable upon completion of the grant and submission of an online final report and travel expense report. Host institutions normally cover in-country per diem costs for lodging, meals and transportation.
For more information on this unique program, please visit the website of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) in Washington, D.C. at: http://www.cies.org/specialists/ or specifically, to view other Grant Opportunities: http://www.cies.org/specialists/ss_opportunities.htm.
In addition, a new electronic flyer (in PDF format) is now available on the CIES Fulbright Agency page at: http://www.cies.org/fulbrightagency.htm . This flyer promotes the FSSP to potential host institutions.
Click-on "FSSP Host Institution Requirement Flyer" to download this file.