Fulbright Program: U.S. Applicant Podcast
Transcript For: Fulbright awards to Central America and the Caribbean
August 14, 2007
Tony and Valerie get details on the Fulbright Program in Central America and the Caribbean from Program Manager Joe Livingston.
Tony: Welcome to the Fulbright student podcast. We’re your hosts, Tony Claudino. I’m Director of Fulbright Student Outreach and I’m here with Valerie: Your fantastic co-host Valerie Hymas, Program Manager for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia. Tony: You always interrupt me. Valerie: Uh, well, Tony, actually, I learned from the master. Tony: So what have we got on for today? Valerie: We’re going to chat with our colleague Joe Livingston, once again, who is the Program Manager responsible for the Critical Language Enhancement Awards, which you’ve also spoken to us about in the past, as well as responsible for the Fulbright region to Central America and the Caribbean. And today we’re going to talk about Central America and Caribbean or Caribbean to some people, you know, you can go either or, whichever you like. Tony: I think I say Caribbean. Valerie: Caribbean, Caribbean. OK. Well, Joe, what would you say? Joe: I would say the Caribbean. Valerie: Caribbean. Brilliant… Joe: But I, uh, you know, people have their different views, and they’re welcome to all of them. Valerie: That’s right. Like car-a mel, carmel. Joe: Something like that. Valerie: So, Joe, tell us, the Central America – Caribbean region, what kind of candidates do you get, and what fields of study are most commonly found? Joe: Well, we see people coming from all walks of academic life. We tend to see a lot of people doing anthropology, but we also have quite a few people now doing public health work, economic development. We’ve got a few people doing biological research. It really runs the gamut. Valerie: Is there any particular field that the supervising agencies – who select as well as administer the program – do they have any field that they would like candidates to apply in or wish to attract? Any areas that they’re not getting enough candidates in? Joe: Well, one thing I notice is that biology and ecological work are definitely fields that have been supported in recent years. We haven’t had that many applicants, so you could look at those as real potential fields for additional applicants. I know that … Valerie: Sure. Tony: How bout artists? Joe: Sure. Artists are welcome to apply as well and there haven’t been too many candidates in the arts for those regions. We’ve had a few in ethnomusicology, but certainly we’re welcome to seeing additional fine arts and other proposals in those areas. Valerie: Oh brilliant, wonderful. Tony: What about the English teaching assistants… are there any? Joe: There are no English teaching assistantships in Central America. There are some opportunities in South America, in which case you’d want to speak to Jody Dudderar, who is the program manager responsible for that region. Valerie: So, the the program to the Central America / Caribbean region, that is a regional program. Can you explain how that works? And what that means for a candidate? Joe: Sure. Basically, in some countries, you’re applying and you’re competing for a specific number of spots that’s available in a particular country. In the case of the Central America / Caribbean region, there are a certain number of grants available to the entire region, and the field is really competitive between people applying to all the different countries. So there’s not one set number of grants that’s going to be available for Trinidad and Tobago or Guatemala in a given year. Valerie: Great. Tony: Can you talk to us a little bit about the grant period? Is it like in Argentina that people start in February, or do people usually start in, or … if they’re offered the Fulbright do they start in September? Joe: We have people starting all the way from August through March, and it really depends specifically on the country and the institution with which the person is affiliated with. So that’s the critical detail here. If a person is planning on enrolling in an institution that has an academic calendar starting in January, then they’re going to need to make sure that their research and their timeframe fits that area. Ordinarily, if the person is going and the institution is flexible, then we can be equally flexible and allow people to start at the time that’s most comfortable for them. The normal duration of the awards is 10 months, we’ve had some people do shorter awards. We can take an award… Tony: How short? Joe: There is one case of someone doing an award 6 months that I’ve dealt with. Valerie: Which is the minimum amount of time allowable. Joe: That’s the minimum and that’s usually only for someone doing Ph.D. level research. Valerie: Right, right. As well as artists. So Joe, what about multi-country proposals? Is the Central America / Caribbean region an area of the world that allows such proposals? Joe: Sure, it’s absolutely acceptable to apply for a multi country project in the Central America / Caribbean region. Valerie: Right. But multi-country proposals can be for up to three countries and couldn’t have four countries? Joe: Exactly. And again, applicants should always note that they need to have their proposals approved by the [U.S.] embassies in all of those countries, and they need to have very strong reasons for needing to conduct their research in all of the different areas. Valerie: They probably need to find more than one host affiliation for each country, which would double or triple the effort they’d make to put that kind of project together. Joe: Right, exactly. Tony: It sounds like you’re definitely not encouraging multi country, and having people just focus on a single country proposal. But that’s probably something they should talk to you about. Joe: They should talk to me, and there are certain cases where a person’s research really does require them to be in two places, especially if they are doing some sort of comparative research. So I’m not, we’re not trying to dissuade the applicants, but they should definitely understand that it will have consequences in terms of the amount of work and their competitiveness. Tony: Talk to me about Haiti, for example. When I’m doing campus visits speaking to students, a lot of students want to go to Haiti. Valerie: There must be many countries in the Caribbean that aren’t listed in the brochure… Tony: Cuba Valerie: … you know, can candidates apply to those unlisted countries? Joe: Well, there are different cases. In the case of Cuba, Haiti and Belize there are currently no opportunities for U.S. students, and that could change in the future. You know we’re always looking at ways of increasing opportunities for students to explore the region and have these experiences, but it won’t be available for the 07-08 application cycle. Now in terms of some of the unlisted countries, Dominica, Guadalupe, the Bahamas, there have been cases where people have received grants to these countries. It’s usually for Ph.D. dissertation research, and you’re certainly welcome to apply. And if you have questions about the specific countries then you’re welcome to speak with me. One thing you should note is that if a particular island is a protectorate of the United Kingdom or France, then that would not fall under the regional awards, and you’d want to speak to Valerie Hymas, who’s right here… Valerie: That’s me! Joe: …to ask her about how they would go about the process of applying for those countries. Valerie: Well, I can say that France actually does allow candidates to apply to their overseas territories. And then you, you simply design your project to based in one of those countries and submit it to France. But the U.K., unfortunately, currently does not. Whether that will change in the near future is difficult to say, but France, it is an option. Certainly. But again, that option is really only available to advanced graduate students, so candidates at the B.A. level should not even enter into consideration. Tony: Can we talk a little more about B.A. level, because it sounds like a lot of graduate level. What’s the makeup of the students in the Caribbean / Central America? Joe: There’s a substantial number of B.A.s, M.A.s, and Ph.D.s. All are welcome to apply and it’s never going to be the case that all the grants are going specifically to Ph.D. students. One thing that you should know is that it’s a pretty independent area for doing research. You might not have the same level of support that you’d have in a country where there’s a commission and we’re looking for people who really are capable of handling their affairs, and conducting academic research in a climate where they need to really be responsible for themselves. Valerie: Well, thanks, Joe. I really appreciate you spending time with us, and I’m sure that the candidates interested in the Caribbean / Central American region appreciate your words of advice… Joe: I hope so. It’s always a pleasure to be here. Tony: … And will contact you. You want to give your contact information again? Joe: You can contact me at jlivingston@iie.org or you can call me at 212-984-5366. Tony: Or you can go to the website as well, which is www.fulbrightonline.org and just click on U.S. Student. Thank you very much. Valerie: Thanks a lot.
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