Jefferson Fellowships

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR FALL 2008 JEFFERSON FELLOWSHIPS

The East-West Center now is accepting applications for 12 Fall 2008 Jefferson Fellowships, which provide three weeks of professional dialogue, study and travel for print and broadcast journalists from the United States, Asia and the Pacific Islands.

The program will take place October 18 - November 9, 2008. It will begin at the East-West Center in Honolulu and continue with a study tour to Phoenix, Arizona; Erie, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; and Washington, DC in the United States. During the study tour, all twelve Jefferson Fellows will travel together and share their experiences and insights as they explore the issues of importance in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. The program will conclude in Washington, DC. 

The deadline for submitting applications is Wednesday, June 4, 2008.

The theme of the Fall 2008 program will be: The 2008 U.S. Presidential Election

Americans will go to the polls on November 4, 2008 to elect a new President and Vice President and to vote for a host of other national and local offices. For the first time since 1952, there is no incumbent President or Vice President seeking election, and for the first time ever, the primary field includes both an African American and a woman as front runners. The race for President will certainly be about personalities, character and experience. It also will turn on the candidates' positions on key issues that have a major impact on the lives of ordinary Americans as well other countries. This year, the war in Iraq, national security, the U.S. economy, globalization, trade, health care and immigration top the agenda. But as was seen in 2004, there are other factors that can sway the electorate: Will "values" voters again exert their influence? To what extent will a candidate's likeability play a role? And this year, what impact will gender or race have on the election?

This special Jefferson Fellowships program will provide journalists from Asia, the Pacific and the U.S. with an opportunity to explore the important issues in this 2008 election, learn about the U.S. political process, observe this historic election and finally, discuss the outcome with U.S. analysts and one another. The Fellows in this program also will benefit from the opportunity to share among themselves the perspectives of journalists from across the region and the concerns of their governments and people.
After one week of discussion sessions with regional experts and one another at the East-West Center in Honolulu, participants will travel to various areas of the United States to discuss election issues and attitudes with policymakers, business leaders, community activists, and most importantly, voters from a range of important constituencies such as recent immigrants, retirees, blue collar workers, factory owners, religious groups, African American communities, young people and women. In Phoenix, Arizona, John McCain’s home state, Fellows will explore the complexities of health care and immigration. In Erie, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio, cities in America’s “rust-belt,” an area hard hit by globalization, the program will focus on attitudes toward the economy, trade, social values, and America’s future. Fellows will observe the election in Ohio, the state that determined the 2004 contest in favor of George Bush and which is predicted to serve as a bellwether again this year. They will then travel to Washington, DC for a discussion with analysts, policymakers, journalists and others on what the results mean for the United States and its relations with Asia, the Pacific and the rest of the world.

Who May Apply

The Jefferson Fellowships are designed for working print, broadcast and on-line journalists with a minimum of five years of professional experience, though some flexibility is allowed in assessing the applications. The program is open to reporters and editors; “gatekeepers” who help determine the content of coverage by their news organizations; editorial writers, commentators and columnists; and broadcast producers.
Study sessions, discussions and briefings are conducted in English; fluency in that language is required.

Program Purpose and Content

The Jefferson Fellowships program was launched in 1967 to enhance public understanding through the news media of cultures, issues and trends in the Asia Pacific region, broadly defined as Asia, the Pacific Islands and the United States. The long-range goal is to help news organizations build staff expertise about regional concerns and trends, so that their readers, viewers and listeners may be better informed.
The Fellowships provide the participating journalists with a wide range of perspectives through dialogue with professional colleagues, participation in seminars and meetings with business and government decision-makers, scholars and students, social activists, cultural analysts and others. These contacts, and a network of more than 500 former Jefferson Fellows, provide participants with resources on whom to call when they plan, assign, edit and produce news coverage involving or affecting the region.
The first week of the program consists of dialogue among the Fellows, including a short seminar led by each Fellow; lecture discussions with East-West Center researchers and other experts; and field visits. This will be followed by a study tour to cities in Asia and/or the United States.

Professional Exchange

One essential element of this professional experience is the journalist-to-journalist exchange. Central to this is a presentation that each Fellow will give to his or her fellow participants. Each Fellow is required to prepare and submit four weeks before arriving at the Center a short paper (1,000–1,500 words). The paper should address a significant issue in the participant’s country that is relevant to the theme of the program and discuss how the country – at the government, private sector and/or socio-cultural level – is responding to the issue. The Jefferson Fellowships coordinator will work with invited Fellows to develop a series of presentations relevant to the theme.
Each Fellow also will make a short oral presentation (approximately 10 minutes) and lead a group discussion based on the previously submitted paper.
The purpose of the papers and presentations is to tap the education and experience of participating journalists in ways that will be professionally useful to fellow participants as they study, assess, and report in their media on the themes of the program and the Asia Pacific region.

East-West Center, University of Hawai‘i and Other Resources

East-West Center fellows and research staff, University of Hawai‘i faculty and other experts will lead seminars addressing historical, cultural, social, media, political, security, economic and other issues in an Asia Pacific regional context. During their time in Hawai‘i, the Fellows are encouraged to avail themselves individually of Asia Pacific resources in the community, including staff and library facilities at the Center and the University of Hawai‘i. (The Center and the University are separate institutions but cooperate on a range of projects.)

Study Tour

Field study for the Fall 2008 program will consist of group travel for 17 days. All the Fellows will travel together to Phoenix, Erie, Cleveland and Washington, DC. The East-West Center will coordinate the travel segment of the program, working with on-the-ground partners in each city, as well as its network of alumni, including former Jefferson Fellows, who often volunteer to host, guide and advise traveling Fellows, and to arrange appointments and interviews. 

Funding

The Center provides the Fellows with economy class air transportation from their home cities to Honolulu, to the study tour destinations and from the final city of the study tour back to their home countries. The Center also provides lodging at the East-West Center guesthouse in Honolulu and at moderately priced hotels during the study tour. A modest per diem to cover living costs (food and incidentals) not met by the program is provided in Honolulu and during the study tour. The Center will sponsor J-1 United States visas for Asia-Pacific Fellows, but Fellows will be responsible for all applicable visa fees, as well as any other visa-related expenses.

Employer commitment to the program is important. News organizations are asked to help their employees participate by providing part of the cost whenever possible. An “Employer’s Statement of Support” is a required part of the application. While financial assistance from the employer is not required, employers are encouraged to provide support to their Jefferson Fellows as a demonstration of their commitment to the program. Other kinds of employer support, such as hosting visiting Jefferson Fellows, are welcomed.

Fellows may arrive in Honolulu prior to the October 18 program start date and remain in the U.S. after the November 9 close of the program (subject to appropriate visa status). However, costs for housing, food and incidentals will be at each Fellow’s own expense for additional days beyond the official program dates.

The Jefferson Fellowships are supported by a grant from The Freeman Foundation, of Stowe, Vermont. The grant funds all travel costs, lodging, per diem and other program expenses. About half of the East-West Center’s general funding comes from a U.S. government appropriation and the rest from private foundations and agencies, media organizations, individuals, corporations and governments in the Asia Pacific region. Official agencies, private companies, research organizations, East-West Center alumni and volunteers contribute to the program on a regular basis.   

How to Apply

Please access the Jefferson Fellowships application form and complete instructions on how to apply at our website: http://www.EastWestCenter.org/jefferson.

In addition to the two page application form, applicants must also include the following:
• A letter outlining your issues of interest, a brief description of your news organization, and what you expect to accomplish if an award is granted. Please suggest topics you propose to address in your paper and presentation at the East-West Center (maximum three pages, double-spaced, please).
• Names, addresses, phone/fax numbers and e-mail of three people who may be contacted by the Center as references. Two of these references should be people outside your news organization. 
• A letter of recommendation on official letterhead from your supervisor describing your suitability for the Fellowship and the benefit the organization hopes to derive from your participation in the program.
• The “Employer’s Statement of Support” form completed by your employer.
NOTE: Samples of your work are not required. If you wish to include samples, we prefer web links to articles (when possible) rather than hard copies.

Please send applications to the East-West Center by Wednesday, June 4 via:
E-MAIL: jefferson@eastwestcenter.org
OR
FAX: (808) 944-7600
OR
POST: Jefferson Fellowships Program, East-West Seminars
East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96848-1601, USA

TEL: (808) 944-7682

                       

The East-West Center contributes to a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific community by serving as a vigorous hub for cooperative research, education and dialogue on critical issues of common concern to the Asia Pacific region and the United States. The Center serves as a national and regional resource for information and analysis on Asia and the Pacific.  It provides a meeting ground where people with a wide range of perspectives exchange views on topics of regional concern.  Since the Center’s founding in 1960, close to 50,000 people have participated in its programs.  Many of these participants now occupy key positions in government, business, journalism and education in the region.
The East-West Center is a public, non-profit national and regional research and education institution with an international board of governors. About half of the Center’s funding comes from a U.S. government appropriation and the rest from private foundations and agencies, media organizations, individuals, corporations, and a number of Asian and Pacific governments.