NEW YORK, May 3, 2016 – This summer, 59 African-born scholars based in the United States and Canada will travel to Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda for 14-90 days to conduct academic projects with their peers at host universities in those countries. The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) Advisory Council announced today that it has selected forty-one African universities to host the Fellows, based on collaborative project proposals submitted by faculty members and administrators at the African universities, to meet specific needs at their universities. The visiting fellows will work with their hosts on a range of projects across disciplines, from agroforestry to e-learning modules for nursing, and from ethno-musicology to military mental health.
The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program, now in its third year, is designed to avert Africa’s brain drain, build capacity at the host institutions, and develop long-term, mutually-beneficial collaborations between universities in Africa and the United States and Canada. It is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) in Nairobi, Kenya, which houses the Advisory Council.
This new round of Fellowships will support several projects that involve more than one host institution, to encourage cooperation among African universities. Several program alumni will also receive support, to enable them to build on previous successful collaborations to advance the projects and deepen the ties among the faculty members and their home and host institutions. Selected projects include:
- KCA University and African Nazarene University will join together to host a fellow who will hold seminars on research methodology and develop modules to train early career faculty on how to mentor graduate students and write and manage grants.
- A group of animal scientists will travel to the University of Nairobi to focus on building capacity in animal genetics and genomics: developing certificate and Masters’ programs and expanding joint research; teaching a regional post-graduate course for scientists from East and Central Africa; developing and providing software for laboratory use; improving the use of mobile health technology; and developing budgets and infrastructure.
- A theater professor from St. Louis will spend three months in University of the Western Cape in South Africa as a returning Fellow to complete the staging of an original musical he is producing based on the life of Mariam Makeba, a South African singer and civil rights activist nicknamed Mama Africa. “Zenzi, The Musical” is scheduled to premiere at his host university in Cape Town in May and move to his home university in the United States in September.
Fellowships match host universities with African-born scholars, and cover the expenses for the visiting scholars including transportation, a daily stipend, and the cost of obtaining visas and health insurance. A total of 169 Fellows have now been selected since the program’s inception in 2013.
Call for Project Requests and Scholar Applications
From May 1 until July 5, universities in eligible host countries can submit a project request for visiting Fellows to come to their universities starting in December 2016. African-born academics residing in the United States or Canada can apply any time, and are matched with accepted projects on a rolling basis. Prospective hosts and fellows can find eligibility requirements and instructions in the “How to Apply” section of the program’s website. Prospective hosts and fellows can work together to develop specific projects. The Advisory Council encourages projects that involve collaboration between multiple institutions and cohorts of faculty members addressing related topics.
Please direct all questions related to the application process to AfricanDiaspora@iie.org.
About the Hosts and Fellows
Public and private higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda were invited to submit a project request to host a scholar for 14 to 90 days. Prospective hosts were eligible but not required to name a proposed scholar in a project request. The proposed scholar and project request were each evaluated by a review committee and were subject to approval by the Advisory Council. Many African institutions and prospective Fellows collaborated on ideas for a project that were submitted by the institutions. IIE also maintains a scholar roster to facilitate matches, according to the discipline specializations, expertise, activities and objectives described in a project request. Scholars born in Africa who live in the United States or Canada and work at an accredited college or university in either of those two countries applied to be on the roster of available candidates. Candidates were required to have a terminal degree in their field and can hold any academic rank. For Fellows matched with a selected project, the fellowship includes a daily stipend, transportation and visa funds and health insurance coverage.
About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,400 member institutions.
IIE’s presence in Sub-Saharan Africa has spanned over 30 years. From 1979-2001, the USAID-funded South Africa Education Program opened the doors for black South Africans to obtain the knowledge, skills and professional credentials required to succeed in a post-apartheid government. In 2008, IIE established an office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where it implements a strong set of programs in leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and higher education scholarship administration. By creating and administering exchange and training programs, IIE helps develop the talent and human resources needed to address the challenges and harness the opportunities emerging on the African continent.
About United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa)
United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) was founded in 1969 as the Africa campus of United States International University in San Diego, California. Today, the University operates as an independent, not-for-profit institution serving over 6000 students representing 73 nationalities. It offers 24 degree programs from undergraduate to doctoral level, all of which are accredited in Kenya and the United States of America with the Commission for University Education and Senior Colleges and Universities Commission, WASC respectively.
About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 “to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation’s work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy.Contacts
Public Affairs