THE 2007-2008 FULBRIGHT NEW CENTURY SCHOLARS PROGRAM (NCS)

“Higher Education in the 21st Century: Access and Equity.”

NOTICE: The competition round for the 2007-08 NCS Awards is now CLOSED.  The 2008-09 Awards will be announced at a later date.  Thank you.

Background:  In March 2001, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, announced the launching of the Fulbright New Century Scholars Program (NCS), one of three new initiatives designed to build on the strengths of the Fulbright Scholar Program by extending its mission and outreach.

The New Century Scholars Program (NCS) plays a vital role in forging new links among scholars and professionals from around the world who work together to seek solutions to issues and concerns that affect all humankind.

Each year approximately 30 outstanding research scholars and professionals from the U.S. and abroad will be selected to participate in the program through an open competition. Of the thirty, approximately one-third will be U.S. citizens while the remaining two thirds will be visiting scholars from countries with an operation al Fulbright Scholar Program.

Under the guidance of an appointed Distinguished Scholar Leader, NCS Scholars engage in collaborative, multidisciplinary examination of a topic of universal concern and together seek solutions to critical issues affecting all humankind.

The New Century Scholars program provides a platform for scholars from the US and around the world to engage in debate and dialogue based on multidisciplinary research and to develop new global models for understanding the social context within which nations and communities shape their responses to the many challenges of the 21st century. This particular aspect of the New Century Scholars program is a unique feature that distinguishes it from the core Fulbright Scholar Program.

To create this platform for collaborative thinking and pursuit of tangible solutions to issues of universal concern, NCS combines the traditional Fulbright research exchange experience with a series of three in-person seminar meetings and ongoing virtual communication among the multinational and multidisciplinary participants under the guidance of the NCS Distinguished Scholar Leader.

At the end of the program year, NCS Scholars share the results of their collaborative interaction and engagement in a public forum at which they present their conclusions and recommendations for initiatives that will translate the results of their collaborative thinking into tangible impact on the local, regional or global level.

Program Overview:  In its 5th year, NCS will continue to address critical issues in higher education around the globe, and will focus on “Higher Education in the 21st Century: Access and Equity.” Dr. Bruce Johnstone, Director, Center for Comparative and Global Studies in Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo, will serve as the Distinguished Scholar Leader.

Higher education faces significant challenges throughout the world. Among the most universal and complex are those related to ensuring equitable access for the rapidly growing number of individuals seeking education at the postsecondary level. Meeting the burgeoning demand for higher education and developing policies and resources that provide the benefit of higher education to diverse populations of students will require national commitment and international cooperation. In today’s global, knowledge-based economy, the economic growth and social well being of nations around the world are
increasingly dependent on a well-educated workforce and individual access to quality education. Understanding the principal components of this challenge and the relationship between cultural norms, social and political policies and the development of higher education will require deeper understanding in order to realize the goals to expand access and equity.

The Fulbright New Century Scholars Program provides an ideal vehicle for the kind of cross cultural and transnational examination that will contribute to a significant comparative analysis of access and equity issues. By bringing together a diverse group of scholars and educational leaders to examine the topic in national and international settings, NCS will seek constructive ways for contemporary institutions to develop policies responding to the challenge of ensuring equitable access within the framework of higher education in the 21st century.

Three themes related to the central topic of access and equity in higher education will be examined:
      1. Cultural and societal norms that affect access and equity
      2. Role of K-16 in limiting or advancing access to higher education
      3. Resources and polices that provide greater access to higher education

Program Activities:  To create a platform for collaborative thinking and pursuit of tangible solutions to the challenges posed by the NCS theme, NCS provides participants with specific opportunities to come together during the program year:

      • Orientation and goal setting session
      • Mid-term meeting
      • Final plenary seminar
      • International exchange opportunity of two/three months
      • Ongoing discussion and interaction among NCS fellows throughout program year

NCS Scholars are expected to participate in all activities of the program and to contribute to the collaborative goals of the program throughout the program year. 

Eligibility Requirements:  Outstanding scholars, academic administrators, and professionals of any rank and in any field related to the NCS theme are invited to apply. Applicants with strong interdisciplinary and comparative interests are especially welcome.

      • Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in a relevant field.
      • U.S. applicants must have U.S. citizenship and be permanently residing in the United States at the time of application.
      • Non-U.S. applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of and residing in the country from which they are applying
      • Non-U.S. applicants must submit their applications through a participating Fulbright Commission in their home country (Jordan)
      • Fluency in English
Approximately one-third of the participants will be U.S. scholars, and the remaining two thirds will be visiting scholars from outside the United States.

Awards/Benefits:

      • Individual travel/research awards in the amount of $37,000
      • Accommodations and meals for program seminars
NCS awards are intended to provide support for travel to all program meetings, travel and maintenance for the exchange visit, research materials and assistance, and some salary replacement.

Tentative Timeline:

February 2006 - NCS Program announced and application materials available
July 17, 2006 - Deadline for submission of application materials for U.S. applicants
(Non-U.S. applicants should consult with their local Fulbright office for the relevant application
deadline)
Oct/Nov 2006 - Fulbright New Century Scholars announced
February 2007 - NCS orientation
February 2007 - Exchange visits may begin
July 2007 - Mid-term seminar
March 2008 - Final plenary seminar

For more information, please visit the web site of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) in Washington, D.C. at: http://www.cies.org/ncs or contact:

Micaela S. Iovine, Ph.D.
Senior Program Officer
Council for International Exchange of Scholars
3007 Tilden St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
NCS@cies.iie.org
202.686.6253

Stacey Bustillos
Program Officer
NCS@cies.iie.org
202.686.6252

Hajra Zahid
Senior Program Associate
NCS@cies.iie.org
202.686.6250