BodyText1
10:15 a.m., Sept. 20, 2010----As part of the U.S.
Department of State's Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program, the
University of Delaware is hosting a new international student from
Kazakhstan -- Gaukhar Ospanova.
As a master of public administration (MPA) student in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy and research assistant within the Institute for Public Administration
(IPA), Ospanova will be working on the Delaware Successful Transitions
Project, which is a unique collaboration with the national nonprofit Policy Consensus Initiative
(PCI). PCI's effort aims to bring together Delaware state agencies
serving youth, elected officials, nonprofit providers, housing groups,
educational institutions, faith-based organizations, and civic activists
to create a seamless set of services to assist young people aging out
of the foster-care system to successfully transition to adulthood.
PCI is co-chaired by former Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer and former
Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner. IPA has been asked by Minner to support
this initiative through its strengths in group facilitation and
encouraging civic engagement.
Established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to encourage economic and
democratic growth in Eurasia, the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship
Program is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
(ECA) of the U.S. Department of State, and administered by IREX.
By selecting emerging leaders from 12 countries of the former Soviet
Union, the Muskie program aims to promote mutual understanding, build
democracy and foster the transition to market economies in Eurasia
through intensive academic study and professional training. In addition
to their academic programs, Muskie fellows gain exposure to American
values through a community service experience and develop professional
skills through a full-time internship in their field of study.
The Muskie program is highly competitive, averaging nearly 4,000
applications per year with a 4 percent rate of acceptance. For more
information, visit the program website.
Article by Mark Deshon
Originally published by UDaily.
