37th cohort of UMN Humphrey International Fellows celebrate program completion

https://www.hhh.umn.edu/news/hubert-humphrey%E2%80%99s-name-international-fellows-program-celebrates-40-years-impact


The Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota celebrated the completion of the 2017-2018 cohort of Hubert H. Humphrey International Fellows with a ceremony at McNamara Alumni Center.

Sixteen Fellows from around the world attended the program (https://www.hhh.umn.edu/international-fellows/current-fellows), representing countries in Eurasia, Africa, and South America.

Dean Laura Bloomberg opened the program with short remarks and Fellow Natalia Ariza Ramírez was selected by her peers to give the commencement address.

Meredith McQuaid, Associate Vice President and Dean of International Programs for the University of Minnesota system, congratulated the Fellows and presented the 2017 Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals to Humphrey International Fellow alumnus Mr. N'nyapule Madai (1983-84, Tanzania) for his long career of volunteer and professional service to persons with disabilities, saying:         

 "It is my distinct and sincere pleasure to be here this afternoon, to witness and congratulate those who will complete their own Humphrey Fellowship program this year, but also to recognize and honor a former Fellow, about whom you have just heard with one of the highest honors the University has to bestow upon our international students, scholars and friends.                             

As many of you know, the University of Minnesota has made great progress in its goal to internationalize. That progress includes:

•  having an institutional presence around the world, 
• linking human and financial resources in ways that will catalyze positive change, and
• providing our students with the skills necessary to be globally competent when they leave us. 

In pursuit of our goal to internationalize, we are particularly grateful for the work and accomplishments of our international students and scholars."

The Hubert H. Humphrey International Fellows program is managed by the International Fellows and Scholars program at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs.  Staffing the program are Associate Coordinators Pepe Wonosikou (public policy/public administration) and Afua Quarshie (law/human rights), Office Administrator Riley Grittinger, and IFS Director Sherry Gray.  Volunteers from around the University and the community assist the Fellows as cultural and social Hosts, as mentors and advisees, and as colleagues and friends. 
 

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program was initiated in 1978 to honor the late Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and his lifelong commitment to international cooperation and public service. The program brings accomplished mid-career professionals from designated developing nations and emerging democracies to the United States for a year of academic study, related professional experience, and cultural exchange. The people-to-people approach to international understanding provides a basis for lasting ties between U.S. citizens and their professional counterparts in other countries and strengthens the global exchange of knowledge and experience essential to a sustainable world.

Fellowships are granted competitively to professional candidates with a commitment to public service. The program is sponsored by the United States Department of State and is administered nationally by the Institute of International Education (IIE), which assigns fellows to a host university based upon each fellow’s interests and needs.

Each year, about a dozen Humphrey Fellows come to the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, which serves as their base for their fellowship year. The goals of the Humphrey Fellowship Program at the University of Minnesota are:

• to enable each fellow to develop a program that fosters personal and professional growth and that prepares the fellow for leadership roles in his or her country;
• to provide opportunities for a rich exchange of information among Fellows, and also between Fellows and host families, community members, professional colleagues and students/faculty at the University;
• to help fellows understand as broadly and deeply as possible the U.S. cultural, political, and economic systems; and
• to help fellows develop a fuller sense of the global context in which they and their countries operate.

The IFS office and the Humphrey School do not administer the application process for this fellowship. For detailed information about the fellowship and its application process, please visit the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program's website.

The Humphrey Program is funded primarily by a Congressional appropriation to the United States Department of State. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State and the Institute of International Education (IIE) administer the program jointly through a cooperative agreement. IIE contributes donated staff time, recruitment of pro bono experts and speakers, shared event costs, and other administrative resources to the Humphrey Program. Participating governments and host institutions contribute financial support through direct cost-sharing.

The Program also benefits from the generous support of several co-funders: 

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) – The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a leading supporter of global research on drug abuse and addiction, sponsors several Humphrey Fellows. In order to be considered for funding by NIDA, candidates must hold an advanced graduate degree in medicine, health, biomedical, behavioral, or the social sciences and have significant research experience.
• Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health – Emory University has donated support for an Enhancement Workshop on Global Development and Social Justice at the School of Public Health for more than a decade.
• Employers – In addition to granting leave status to Humphrey Fellows, many employers continue to pay Fellows their annual salaries. This generous assistance enables Fellows to support their families and participate in the Humphrey Fellowship Program.
• Host Campuses – Each Humphrey host university provides in-kind support to the Program, including tuition reduction, donated office space, computers, and staff time.