Applications Now Being Accepted For The 2016 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program. Application Deadline: November 15, 2015

Program Information:

The 2016 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq will bring 22 junior Iraqi scholars to U.S. institutions from June 26 through September 4, 2016 for faculty development, mentoring, and cultural exchange activities. Five discipline-based cohorts consisting of four to six scholars each will spend 10 weeks at selected U.S. host institutions, where they will be introduced to new teaching and research methods, observe classes, attend seminars, and develop linkages with American faculty through weekly mentoring sessions. Ongoing community engagement with university-identified host families, volunteers, or others in the broader local community will facilitate the scholars’ participation in outreach activities, including visits to historical sites and attendance at cultural events. While introduction to new research methods in the scholars’ disciplines is one component of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq, the program is not intended to provide a venue for individual research projects.

Objectives:

Build higher education capacity in Iraq through faculty development and mentoring for junior scholars.
Foster long-term collaboration and institutional linkages between Iraqi scholars and U.S. academics.
Promote mutual understanding between Iraqis and Americans by facilitating the scholars’ engagement with the broader host campus community.
Who Can Apply:

The 2016 competition is open to current full-time Iraqi university faculty members, who possess, at a minimum, a master’s degree and at least five years of university-level teaching experience or a Ph.D. and no more than five years of teaching experience. Master’s degree holders who are currently enrolled in a doctoral program must possess at least three years of teaching experience.

Applicants should have a commitment to classroom teaching and a desire to strengthen their teaching and leadership skills. Please note that this program is intended for full-time faculty only; Iraqi government officials are not eligible.

Applicants must demonstrate fluency in spoken and written English. Scholars in this program can focus on one of the following fields of study organized in the following cohorts:

American Literature:
Literature, poetry, literary theory, creative writing.
Engineering:
Mechanical, computer, civil, chemical, electrical, industrial, materials, and systems engineering.
Science and Technology:
Biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, information science, and GIS.
TEFL/Linguistics:
Applied linguistics and teaching of English as a foreign or second language.
Cultural Heritage Preservation:
Archaeology, anthropology, history, art history, cultural preservation, architectural preservation, collections management, and museum/heritage management.
How to Apply:

To apply for the 2016 program, please visit the following link to create a user account and complete an application form:

https://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/scholars/30/.

For specific instructions on how to complete the application package, please click here:

Fulbright Scholar Application Instructions

Application deadline is November 15, 2015.

The application form will require personal information and a written statement of up to 3-5 pages in length. To ensure you submit a complete application, please follow the instructions carefully. You are not required to complete the application in one sitting; please make note of your login and password so you can return to the application. Once you submit the application, you are no longer allowed to make any changes to your information. You will be asked to provide information including, but not limited to:

Your preferred discipline-based cohort (Applicants may apply for one cohort only.)
Educational background
Current C.V.
An explanation of how your participation in this program would benefit you and your institution as a whole
How you plan to implement what you will gain from this program upon returning to Iraq
Three letters of reference (academic or professional, not personal)
Please send any inquiries you have during the application process to Iraqfulbrightscholar@iie.org or join one of the virtual “Questions & Answers” sessions. Call-in details are:

Skype name: iraq.fulbright.scholar
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Skype Session: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm every Wednesday starting October 7 until November 11.

Benefits:

The scholarship covers:

A per scholar administrative stipend,
Travel allowance and professional development funds,
Furnished, individual apartment-style housing,
Round-trip international airfare to the United States, and
Accident and sickness insurance for the duration of the study program.
Policies of the Iraq Fulbright Program:

While there are overarching policies to which all Fulbright scholarship recipients from around the world must adhere to, there are also policies which are country-specific:

Two-year home residency requirement: The J-1 visa is an exchange visa which requires all Fulbright scholarship recipients to return to their home country for at least two years upon successful completion of the program.
Intention to return to Iraq: Your eligibility for a Fulbright scholarship is based, in part,on your intention to return to Iraq immediately following your program. If you show intent other than to remain in the United States for a temporary, specific, limited period (such as applying for an immigrant visa to the U.S., asylum in the U.S., or residency in a country other than Iraq) you will be ineligible to receive the Fulbright scholarship. Please carefully review the J visa policies for further information.
No-dependents: J visa sponsorship is offered only to the Iraq Fulbright scholarship award recipient. J-2 visa dependents (spouses and children under the age of 21) cannot accompany the Iraqi scholarship recipient on his/her study program.
The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Source : http://iraq.usembassy.gov/fulbright-visiting-scholar.html