Educational Exchange Programs

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

INFORMATION SHEET

Prepared by: American Cultural Center Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Last Revised: May 2, 2007

What is this program?

This is a program for mid-career professionals in leadership positions. Successful applicants spend one academic year (from August or early September to June) in the United States in a non-degree program that involves a combination of academic study and professional development. Funding is provided by the government of the United States of America through the U.S. Department of State. The funding covers the cost of tuition and university fees, a monthly maintenance allowance, a book and supplies allowance, round-trip transportation from Burkina Faso to the host university in the U.S., and transportation to Washington, D.C. for a special seminar.

What kinds of professionals are eligible to apply?

Mid-career professionals who work in the following fields in either the public or private sector are eligible to apply:

• Communications/Journalism
• Natural Resources and Environmental Management
• Public Policy Analysis and Public Administration
• Economic Development
• Agricultural Development/Agricultural Economics
• Finance and Banking
• Human Resource Management/Personnel
• Law, Civil Society, Human Rights, and Democratic Development
• Urban and Regional Planning
• Technology Policy and Management
• Education Planning
• Public Health Policy and Management
• Drug Abuse Education, Prevention and Treatment

What are the minimum requirements?

Only applicants who meet the following minimum requirements can apply through the American Cultural Center in Ouagadougou:

• Citizens or permanent residents of Burkina Faso;
• Persons who have a university degree awarded after at least four years of full-time study that is sufficient to qualify the person to be admitted to a graduate study program at a university in the U.S.;
• Persons who will have at least five years of professional work experience prior the commencement of their Fellowship and who desire to pursue study and professional development in the same field in which they have the five years of experience; and
• Persons who are proficient in both written and spoken English.

Who are the most competitive applicants?

Anyone meeting the minimum requirements may apply. However, people who have the following characteristics are the most competitive applicants and therefore the ones most likely to be selected:

• Persons who have already demonstrated leadership qualities;
• Persons who have already shown a commitment to public service;
• Persons who have the potential to advance in their professional fields; and
• Persons involved in establishing and implementing policy (as distinguished from persons who only conduct research or who only perform technical functions).

Applications from women and persons who work at non-governmental organizations are encouraged

In addition, researchers, treatment providers, prevention specialists, and public or private program planners in drug abuse prevention and treatment are encourage to apply. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in the U.S. funds a limited number of Fellowships each year for such persons.

What kinds of people are not eligible?

The following are examples of persons who are not eligible for this program:

• Recent university undergraduates;
• University teachers with no management responsibilities;
• Persons who have attended a graduate school in the U.S. for one academic year or more during the seven years prior to August 2007;
• Persons who have spent more than six months in the U.S. during the five years prior to August 2007; and
• Persons who are dual citizens of the U.S. and another country, or who have U.S. permanent resident status (e.g., who have a green card).

If I am eligible and meet the minimum requirements, how do I apply?

• You must complete a package of application materials.  Applications may be picked up American Center at 674, Avenue John F. Kennedy, at Koulouba, Ouagadougou, From May 7, 2007 to June 29, 2007: Monday through Thursday from 7:30 to 12:00 and 12:45 to 17:00 and Friday from 7:30 to 12:30.

• No application materials will be distributed by the American Cultural Center after that date.

• Alternatively, the application materials may be downloaded from the Humphrey program website at http://www.iie.org/pgms/hhh, and completed on a computer.

• The following pages from the application materials must be completed and returned to the American Cultural Center by 5:00 p.m. on July 02, 2007: Bio-Sheet A, Bio-Sheet B, Program Plan, Personal Statements A, Personal Statements B, NIDA page (if you are an applicant for a Fellowship involving drug abuse education, prevention and treatment), Personal Information, and English Language.

How does the competition work?

• The American Cultural Center reviews the application materials and selects the most-qualified applicants to be interviewed by a committee. These interviews will occur mid-July at the American Cultural Center. Please do not call to find out if you have been selected to be interviewed. If you have been selected we will contact you by telephone or email to schedule your interview. If you are not contacted this means that you were not selected to participate in the competition.

• After the interviews the American Cultural Center will contact those candidates who have been selected to continue in the competition. The American Cultural Center will schedule these candidates to take the Test of English Language Proficiency (the TELP) in Ouagadougou during the second half of July. The American Cultural Center will then use the results of this test to predict the performance of each candidate on another English test known as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (the TOEFL).

• After all the candidates have taken the TELP the American Cultural Center will select those candidates who will be allowed to continue in the competition, and these candidates will be the finalists from Burkina Faso.  Only those candidates who are likely to score at least 500 on the TOEFL test will be allowed to continue in the competition.  The American Cultural Center will register the finalists to take the TOEFL in Ouagadougou on October 2007.  The finalists must also provide additional application materials (translated letters of reference and academic transcripts) to the American Cultural Center before 5:00 p.m. on September 10, 2007.

• The Finalists from Burkina Faso then compete against applicants from other countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Eurasia. The winners are announced between mid-March and early April of 2008.

What if I am not a citizen or permanent legal resident of Burkina Faso?

If you are not a citizen or permanent legal resident of Burkina Faso you cannot apply for this program through the U.S. Embassy or the American Cultural Center in Ouagadougou. You should contact the Public Affairs Section in the U.S. Embassy in your home country to find out whether your country participates in this program, and, if so, how to apply.

When will I go to the United States if I am selected?

The current competition is for Fellowships starting in August or early September of 2008 and finishing in the spring of 2009.  Winning candidates who have a TOEFL score over 525 but less than 575 will generally be required to go to the U.S. as early as late May of 2008 for intensive English language study before the beginning of their academic year.

If I am selected can my spouse or children come with me to the U.S.?

No. The cost of living is very high in the U.S. and there is no funding to support anyone other than the person awarded the Fellowship. In rare cases a Humphrey Fellow may request permission for his or her dependents to come to the U.S. after the Fellow has arrived in the U.S.  if the Fellow can show proof of adequate personal funds to cover the living expenses of the dependents and the cost of health insurance for them.

How do I get more information?

You can also pull out the application from on our web site:   http://ouagadougou.usembassy.gov

From May 9, 2007 to June 27, 2007, the American Center at 674, Avenue John F. Kennedy, Ouagadougou will also host information sessions every Wednesday from 10:00 am to 11:00.