The Open Society Institute's International Higher Education Support Program (HESP) launched the Academic Fellowship Program (AFP) in 2004 to support and guide higher education reform in South Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union (excluding the Baltic states), and Mongolia. Although the program readily evolves to meet the changing and varied educational challenges of the region, its aim remains to achieve lasting higher education reform by assisting progressive university departments and by supporting promising scholars who teach at these departments after they have returned from abroad with an internationally competitive Master's or other postgraduate degree.

Recognizing that universities play a fundamental role in strengthening civil society, AFP focuses on higher education reforms that will bolster open, democratic societies.

Changing the Face of Education

Higher education reform in the countries targeted by AFP is often impeded by lack of funding, ineffective education policies, poor planning and management, reliance on traditional curricula that emphasize passive rather than active learning, limited flexibility in career choices, corruption, and elitism.

The Academic Fellowship Program seeks to diminish these obstacles by contributing to the reform of higher education and helping to build academic networks locally, regionally, and globally. The program focuses on aiding both the educational institution and the individual scholar in two main ways:

• AFP assists reform-minded departments in their efforts to achieve world-class academic stature and become models of innovation and reform in their region.
• AFP supports promising young scholars by promoting their return to the region, their positioning within academe, and their continued professional development within a healthy academic setting. To achieve these goals, AFP offers two fellowship programs: the Returning Scholars Fellowship Program and the International Scholars Fellowship Program.

Returning Scholars Fellowship Program

The program, as part of a conscious strategy to combat “brain drain” in the social sciences and humanities, supports talented scholars who, after earning a Master's or other postgraduate degree abroad, seek university positions and academic careers in their home countries. Securing the services of such scholars is essential to the revitalization of academic departments and the sustainability of higher education reforms. The program offers financial, professional, and departmental development support, as well as opportunities for further professional growth as AFP alumni.

Fellowships comprise monthly stipends and various allowances, including departmental and professional development funds, and are renewable. It is important to note that Returning Scholars are supported only in AFP partner departments. An interested scholar already associated with a department that is not an AFP partner will either be ineligible for the fellowship or may discuss the possibility of relocating to a qualifying department at a different university.

Returning Scholars benefit from an innovative online instrument, the AFP Academic Webfolio Project. Essentially a collective academic workshop, it provides AFP fellows an open forum to present academic materials that reflect their professional development as scholars and university teachers. Posting the materials encourages fellows' self-reflection and allows for ongoing peer and expert review and commentary. The Webfolio website's open, community nature provides a convenient and effective opportunity for scholarly dialogue, collaboration, assistance, and access to the collective academic expertise of AFP fellows and faculty members of AFP partner departments.

Starting with the 2007/08 academic year, the AFP Academic Webfolio Project also serves as the platform for the work of AFP's new Discipline Groups. These groups were established to facilitate academic interaction and cooperation among all AFP fellows in the same academic discipline but at/from different universities. The Discipline Groups' activities will be greatly aided by features available on the Webfolio website.

View the Returning Scholars grant guidelines.

International Scholars Fellowship Program

The program selects highly qualified scholars in the social sciences and humanities to assist AFP partner departments where Returning Scholars are placed. The International Scholars advise on the overall reform agenda of the departments and share with departmental colleagues the latest developments in their discipline, collaborate on the introduction of new courses, and encourage the development of skills critical to academic work. Perhaps the greatest, and most needed, contribution of International Scholars is the expert advice they offer on curriculum development and academic planning.

International Scholars share their experience with Returning Scholars and the entire department on a consultative basis. They work on-site with the departments during two or three short and intense visits, and remain in touch with colleagues between visits. International Scholars play important roles in the Webfolio Project by mentoring individual Returning Scholars and commenting directly on fellows' webfolios within their Discipline Group, both during and between visits. The details of such arrangements as travel and work plan are negotiated on an individual basis during the selection process.

Fellowships generally include a modest stipend, transportation, accommodation, and various other allowances. Fellows may re-apply the following year.

View the International Scholars grant guidelines.

Program Effectiveness

AFP fellows are placed in departments that have been carefully selected as AFP partners. Partnerships are established on the basis of the departments' openness to change and advancement, and clear visions for future development. Returning Scholars working in such environments will find the support and encouragement they need to launch and pursue their academic careers while at the same time contributing to the development of the departments. Partner departments are encouraged to take the lead in recruiting qualified Returning and International Scholars whose professional profiles match departmental needs.

Selection of Partner Departments

Departments are chosen based on several criteria: awareness of the need for educational reform, demonstrated willingness to embrace change, and concrete, realistic plans for achieving lasting reform. AFP gathers detailed information on departments at universities throughout the region, using written questionnaires, interviews, and site visits. Departments meeting program criteria are invited to submit detailed proposals for AFP support, outlining their plans for development over the course of several years. Based on these proposals, AFP selects the most promising departments for collaboration. A current list of partner departments can be found below.

AFP partner departments benefit in many ways from the presence and activities of International and Returning Scholars. AFP invites fellows to submit proposals for Departmental Development Projects and to take an active role in implementing the departmental/AFP strategy for change. Funding for Professional Development is also available for fellows, and professional development and training opportunities are offered to core faculty (non-AFP scholars) as well. Specific areas of focus include curriculum development and teaching excellence. AFP promotes best practices in education through training events, workshops, and roundtables. The program also provides support for projects to extend the impact of teaching by incorporating fellows' research in their teaching.

Download a list of current AFP partner departments below.

Alumni Involvement

AFP treats alumni as a core program component by integrating them into on-going education reform efforts and providing them with a framework for regional and international collaboration. The AFP Alumni Fund offers financial support to alumni who wish to contribute their extensive academic expertise and professional skills to the development of AFP partner departments. The fund is open to alumni of AFP, the Civic Education Project (CEP), and the Support for Community Outreach and University Teaching (SCOUT) Program.

Academic Fields

AFP supports scholars in the humanities and social sciences, including:

• anthropology
• area/cultural studies
• economics
• gender studies
• history
• human rights and public law
• international relations
• journalism/media studies
• philosophy
• political science
• psychology
• public policy/public health
• social work
• sociology

Geographic Representation

AFP supports efforts for higher education reform in:

• Albania
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Georgia
• Kazakhstan
• Kosovo
• Kyrgyzstan
• Macedonia
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Russia
• Serbia
• Tajikistan
• Ukraine

After their accession to the European Union, AFP no longer accepts new departmental applications from Romania and Bulgaria, although support of current partner departments there will continue for the near future.

Administration

AFP is administered from Budapest in cooperation with field offices located in and serving the following sub-regions:

• Moldova, Ukraine, Russia
• Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
• Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan—and Mongolia
• Southeastern Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia

View a full list of AFP contacts.