ACTR/ACCELS, in conjunction with the United States Information Service, announces the opening of its competition for the Regional Scholars Exchange Program (RSEP), for the academic year 1999-2000. This USIA-funded program will provide fellowships for 117 scholars from the NIS, who are seeking to pursue 4- and 6-month research projects at universities and research institutions throughout the United States. The RSEP program is being managed by ACTR in conjunction with the Kennan Institute and NCEEER (the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research).

97 of the 117 Fellows who are chosen will be placed at universities across the country, for four-month terms. These placements will be designated by ACTR, and will be selected on the basis of compatibility between the host institution's strengths and the individual Fellow's research goals. Each RSEP Fellow will also be paired with a local mentor - a faculty member or researcher whose work is closely related to the visitor's own research agenda, and who will be expected to work closely with their guest while he or she is on campus.

An additional 20 Fellows will be granted six-month terms at the Kennan Institute in Washington, DC. These 20 Kennan Fellows must be in residency at the Kennan Institute in Washington, DC,. Kennan RSEP Fellows will not be provided with individual mentors, but will be expected to participate in the larger community of Kennan scholars. Applicants may designate Kennan as their host institution of choice on their application forms; however, ACTR and the Kennan Institute reserve the right to assign final placements.

All participants in the RSEP program will be encouraged to take part in professional activities, including conferences and colloquia, and to give presentations on topics of personal and professional interest, as such opportunities arise.

Please note: all Fellows are required to return to their home country for a two-year term of residency immediately following completion of their RSEP appointment; no exceptions will be allowed.

Activities available to RSEP alumni include a Listserv group for discussion of issues related to the Fellows' professional development; an alumni journal (print and on-line) for the publication of research and alumni works; and a variety of local and NIS-wide conferences and symposia.

The Regional Scholars program is open to scholars from the republics of the NIS, who either possess or are working towards their country's equivalent of the kandidatskaya degree. Successful applicants must be between the ages of 25 and 55, and must be able to demonstrate both a need to pursue their research in the U.S., and thorough proficiency in the English language.

Projects eligible for funding under this program are limited to the following disciplines:

American Studies, Business Administration, City Planning and Urban Studies, Civic Education, Conflict Resolution, Criminal Justice, Demography, Economics, Education, Ethics and Philosophy, Foreign Policy and International Relations, Government, History, Industrial Labor Relations, Information Technology, Journalism, Law, Library Science, Management and Marketing, Political Science, Public Administration, Social Work, Sociology, and Women's Studies

Further information is available in the RSEP Application packet, which can be requested by contacting ACTR. Within the U.S., please address all requests for information or materials to:

James Reische
RSEP Program Manager
ACTR/ACCELS
1776 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 833-7522
Email: [email protected]

Information and materials can also be obtained from Regional ACTR/ACCELS offices in each country of the NIS. Contact information for these offices is available from ACTR's web site, www.actr.org, or can be requested by e-mail from RSEP Program Manager James Reische, [email protected].

Last updated: November 2, 1998

Center for Civil Society International [email protected]