AIEA Presidential Fellows Program
AIEA PRESIDENTIAL FELLOWS PROGRAM AND APPLICATION PROCESS

The AIEA Presidential Fellows program is a program of mentorship for new Senior International Officers (SIO), necessarily limited in number but of high prestige. The AIEA President will notify the President of the Fellow's home institution of the award. Those persons named as fellows will be suitably recognized on the AIEA web site and announced at the annual meeting.

There are three categories of Presidential Fellows: one for applicants from four-year private colleges, one for applicants from public teaching-oriented institutions, and one for applicants from PhD-granting public and private research universities. At the onset of the program, one person per year in each category will be selected. The AIEA Presidential Fellows Committee will then match each Fellow with an experienced SIO at an institution of the same type as the Fellow's home college or university, who will serve as Mentor .

Each fellow will spend several days (as much as up to a week) visiting the Mentor 's campus, shadowing the Mentor , and learning about the policies, politics, and procedures of the Mentor 's institution. Ideally, the Mentor would also plan a shorter visit to the Fellow's campus to better understand the challenges facing the Fellow. Throughout the balance of that academic year, the Mentor will be available for consultation and advice as requested by the Fellow. The Fellow and the Mentor will each provide AIEA with an evaluation of the usefulness of the fellowship at the end of the academic year and the Fellow will submit a final report on the learning experience to AIEA .

The award will include a stipend of $1,500 to be provided to the Fellow's home institution, to defray travel costs and other related expenses of the Fellow and perhaps the Mentor , at the Fellow's discretion. It would be expected, but not required, that this sum might be augmented or perhaps matched by the Fellow's home institution.

Benefits to the Fellow

• Observe how an experienced Senior International Officer and his/her institution address international education challenges and solves problems.
• Participate with a knowledgeable Mentor in structured week-long campus site visit at the Mentor 's institution.
• Learn about national and international issues and how they affect individual campuses.
• Become a member of a national network of Fellows who serve as resources throughout one's career.

Every Fellow is expected to:

• Engage in a Mentor/Fellow relationship with a Senior International Officer which may include participating in senior level decision-making meetings at the host institution.
• Respect the confidentiality of all information learned at the host institution
• Observe the leadership styles of individuals at the host institution, their effectiveness, and how they interact with one another.
• Design an individualized Plan of Action for the week-long site visit to the Mentor 's campus

Through this program, Fellows experience a unique opportunity to immerse themselves briefly in the day-to-day activities of their host institutions, earn the trust of their Mentor(s) and that of other administrators and faculty, and maximize learning opportunities.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Plan of Action

Once the Fellows have been matched with Mentors, Fellows are to design an individualized Plan of Action jointly with their Mentors for the week-long site visit. The plan should outline at least 2-3 key objectives and how these objectives will be achieved including immersing oneself in the campus visit, engaging in the Fellow/Mentor relationship, working on a specific issue(s) identified in the Statement of Purpose and reading professional literature on that issue(s). The Plan of Action should also include a budget outlining anticipated expenses, and a statement of support from the Fellow's institution. The Plan of Action is to be submitted to AIEA at aiea@duke.edu within one month of being paired with a mentor. Upon receipt of the Plan of Action, AIEA will issue a portion ($1250) of the stipend to the Fellow's institution.

The Campus Visit

This experience enables Fellows to observe firsthand how another institution and its senior international officers lead the institution in its international endeavors.

Final Report

As part of this program, the Fellow will need to write and submit a final report to AIEA . The report should include a description of the Fellow's experience, a discussion of how the key objectives were achieved, and how the Fellow will use this experience in his/her work in the future. Upon receipt of the final report, the final portion ($250) of the stipend will be sent to the Fellow's institution.

National Association Meeting

Presidential Fellows are strongly encouraged to attend the AIEA National Conference to meet with other Fellows, Mentors and colleagues.

APPLICATION PROCES

Interested applicants should submit their CV, Statement of Purpose, and a list of 3 references and contact information to aiea@duke.edu by May 30, 2009. The references should have knowledge of the applicant in his/her position as SIO. The Statement of Purpose should include the following 1) description of candidate's institution 2) description of candidate's position, role within the institution and responsibilities/scope of the candidate's position and 3) the knowledge, skills, and advice the candidate desires to obtain from the mentorship. The candidate can include mentor/institution suggestions but this is not necessary and there is no guarantee that the candidate will be matched with those suggestions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Fellows are SIOs at their institution and will be selected based on the following: 1) need and perceived benefit 2) promise/potential 3) quality of statement and application materials Preference will be given to those candidates who have been in their role as senior international officer for less than 3 years. Candidates must be current AIEA members.

KEY DATES

Feb: Fellows Program announced at Annual Conference

May: Deadline for applications

Summer: Fellows are selected and matched with Mentors

Fall: Fellows visit Mentors

Feb: Fellows and Mentors attend AIEA Annual Conference