Ghana Fellowship for Study Abroad
The Ghana Fellowship Program is funded through gifts from Paula Williams Madison '74 and Lynai Williams Jones '92, to provide Vassar students of African heritage, from across the African Diaspora, with the opportunity to study and work in Ghana. The donors' intent is to encourage and support students who wish to learn firsthand about the continent and people of their ancestral heritage, while studying and working with projects and programs in their field of interest. It is hoped that through this experiential model, the fellows will be better prepared to understand and contribute to solutions to the global, environmental, economic, health and social needs and priorities of the 21st century.
This fellowship will support international travel to and study in Ghana for Vassar students in their junior year who are members of groups underrepresented in undergraduate international study; the students will be in good standing and enrolled full-time at Vassar College. The study-abroad experience will take place in the spring semester, beginning in 2011.
Fellowship applications will be accepted until March 5, 2010. Decisions are expected to be announced by April 2010; the funding would be provided in the fall of 2010 prior to the billing cycle for JYA. Selections will be made by the Vassar Ghana Fellowship Selection Committee.
Ghana Fellowship Application Instructions
The Committee is interested in supporting viable study-abroad experiences; therefore applicants should be planning to participate in an approved or recognized program. Such programs can be explored through the Office of International Programs, in consultation with the Director. In addition to the academic portion of the JYA experience, it is expected that fellows include internship or volunteer experiences as appropriate. One such experience may be facilitated with the GE/National Medical Fellowship (NMF) in Apam, Assessewa, Axim, Mampong and Kintampo. National Medical Fellows (third year medical students) may work with VC fellows on the ground as approved by the NMF program. Students may also select other community engagement programs that fit with their interests and academic objectives.
Please note that applications for study abroad must be made separately through the Office of International Programs. Deadline for submission of JYA applications for Spring 2011 is December 7, 2009. You should have applied for and been approved to study abroad prior to application for the Ghana Fellowship.
Fellowships must be used during the spring of 2011 and may not be deferred. All arrangements in connection with the project including appropriate health insurance, travel and housing are the responsibility of the Fellow. Vassar College is not responsible for any physical or mental injury, illness or property loss sustained by a Fellow during the course of his or her fellowship. Fellows may not use the funds to support or defray the expenses of other persons or for non-project related expenses. Fellows who do not carry through their intended project must return any unused portion of the funds to Vassar College.
Upon return from the study-abroad experience, recipients will be expected to report back to the College via written reports, travel essays, web-pages, multi-media projects, or other formats as determined by the recipient and accepted by the chair of the committee. The report back should occur in the first academic term of the recipient's return.
This year there will be up to four fellowships, each award shall be in an amount up to $5,000. Although it may be combined with other funds, the fellowship is intended to fund expenses and activities not normally covered by other funding sources. In this regard the Director of the Office of Fellowships will work closely with the Office of Financial Aid so that the fellowship benefits the recipient as much as possible without violating awarding policies for government and institutional financial assistance.
Established Study Abroad programs available to students in Ghana that Vassar College currently participates in:
SIT: Ghana History and Cultures of the African Diaspora