Here is an electronic copy of the announcement of the Pardee RAND Graduate School Fellowship that Ross made this evening. Apparently the first post vanished on Sunday night. Applications are due to me by Decemeber 5th, 2006.
- Tim The PRGS Debate Fellowship The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS) has reserved a fellowship for an outstanding candidate to be nominated each year by the PRGS Debate Fellowship Committee. The fellowship will be awarded to a past participant in the National Debate Tournament, who also shows outstanding prospects for success as a thinker or scholar in an area of public policy, preferably national security or international affairs. The PRGS PhD Program The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS) was founded to train successive generations of policy analysts to master the analytical tools required help decisionmakers in both the public and private sectors find solutions to some of the world's most difficult, sensitive, and important problems. PRGS is a component of the RAND Corporation, the world's original and best-known "think tank." Over more than 50 years, RAND researchers have invented and refined many of the analytical tools that set the worldwide standard for policy analysis. Academic and practical experiences are interconnected at PRGS. Coursework in such fields as economics, statistics, political science and the social sciences is complemented by part-time work as on RAND research projects. Working on RAND research teams serves two important purposes. First, it helps fellows to enter a community of practice where they may obtain professional skills and tacit knowledge that the academic program alone cannot convey. Second, it pays for school: the PRGS/NDTC fellowship is earned by work on RAND research projects. PRGS fellows work on policy related projects throughout their course of study. PRGS fellows have the opportunity to join teams of RAND researchers, initially as apprentices and later, as their skills develop, in roles of increasing responsibility and independence. At any time at RAND, more than 1,000 research projects are underway. With the exception of those projects that require security clearances or have similar special requirements, nearly all of RAND projects may potentially be open to PRGS fellows, depending on the specific needs of the project. Most fellows work on a variety of projects during their time at RAND, giving them exposure to a range of policy areas, research methods, colleagues, and clients. By the time they graduate, most fellows have accumulated the equivalent of at least two years of job experience in policy analysis and policy consulting--in addition, of course, to their Ph.D. degrees. Often, project work also provides an important part of the foundation for the dissertation required of all graduating fellows. Fellowship Benefits For the 2007-8 academic year the value of the fellowship is $44,000, the entire amount of which is subject to United States federal and state income tax. The fellowship extends as long as a student is in good academic standing making progress toward degree completion, and subject to the terms outlined below in "Earning your Fellowship." The fellowship includes: • Cost of tuition while you are enrolled. Annual tuition for 2007-08 has been set at $21,000. Tuition may be subject to increases in subsequent years, but fellowships have historically been increased concurrently to maintain the stipend level. • Annual base stipend of $23,000. • Fully-equipped office-style cubicle space within RAND Corporation. • The use of a laptop computer for the duration of a fellow's studies. Earning the Fellowship To earn the full fellowship, the recipient will be expected to perform a minimum number of days working on RAND projects each year (including the summers). During the first year, Fellows are engaged in the core courses, and are required to work a minimum of 60 days (or the equivalent of 12 weeks). In years 2 and thereafter, fellows are required to work a minimum of 155 days (oications To be eligible for nomination, a candidate must: • Have participated in the National Debate Tournament during the ten years prior to the date of application; and • Meet the selection criteria for admissions established by PRGS (which are outlined below). The ideal candidate will also show outstanding promise as a thinker and scholar in the areas of national security or international affairs (although candidates from other fields will also be considered), and have a record of success as a collegiate debater. Nominations By December 5, 2006, candidates must submit the following (via scanned email attachment) to Tim O’Donnell, PRGS Debate Fellowship Committee Chair, at [EMAIL PROTECTED]: • A letter of application, indicating interests and accomplishments relevant to policy analysis, and summarizing the candidate's collegiate debate record; • A letter of nomination from one collegiate debate coach; and • Transcripts from undergraduate institutions attended. Upon completion of the selection process, the debate selection committee (the PRGS Debate Fellowship Committee for 2006-2007 consists of: Adrienne Brovero, Glen Frappier, Ed Lee, Dallas Perkins, Will Repko, and Ross Smith) will submit the name of its nominee(s), along with supporting materials to the PRGS. A nominee must also complete and submit an application for admission directly to PRGS, according to the process outlined on the PRGS website (www.prgs.edu/Admission.html). All nominating documentation and application materials must be received by PRGS no later January 10, 2007. However, the PRGS admissions committee will review candidates upon receipt of nominating materials, as long as the application is complete. Candidates who are not selected are still eligible to apply for admission to PRGS. PRGS Criteria PRGS selects up to 25 doctoral fellows each year on the basis of intellectual power, creativity and a practical bent. All applicants must have completed at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, and possess superior communication, logical reasoning and quantitative skills. An advanced degree is not required. No preference is given to any particular undergraduate major or course of study, but all students must have a working knowledge of univariate calculus by the time of enrollment. Coursework in statistics, economics and more advanced calculus is helpful, but not absolutely required. Beyond their academic capabilities, PRGS fellows share several key attributes. They combine passion and discipline: a palpable passion to help change the world for the better, and the demonstrated discipline to master the intellectual tools that will help them do so. The ideal PRGS fellow is organized, self-motivated and socially adept. PRGS also seeks diversity in the broadest sense of the term. An important part of the graduate experience is the learning that takes place as students interact with each other, especially about different life experiences and training, cultures, and ways of thinking. PRGS limits admission to students who can participate full-time in its combined research-and-study program. Because the courses are taught in sequence, students must begin their study in the fall quarter. For More Information: Consult the PRGS website at www.prgs.edu Timothy M. O'Donnell Director of Debate and Associate Professor of Speech University of Mary Washington 316 Combs Hall 1301 College Ave. Fredericksburg, VA 22401 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (540) 654-1252 (office) (540) 654-1569 (fax) _______________________________________________ CEDA-L mailing list [email protected] http://www.ndtceda.com/mailman/listinfo/ceda-l
