In 1947, 18 graduate students from 7 countries left their homelands to study in other countries and serve as ambassadors of goodwill. They were the first "Rotary Fellows." Today, the Ambassadorial Scholarships Program of The Rotary Foundation is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program.

Some 3O,000 students worldwide have studied abroad as Rotary Scholars. For 1997-98, the 50th anniversary of the program, more than 1,350 scholarships have been awarded. Through grants totaling more than US$24 million, recipients from 73 countries will study in 70 different nations.

History

When Rotary International's founder, Paul P. Harris, died in 1947, Rotarians and others across the globe paid homage to his memory with generous gifts to The Rotary Foundation. In the wake of World War II, a program that Harris had envisioned was initiated the creation of international graduate scholarships to enhance relations between the world's citizens. As contributions to the Foundation increased, more scholarships were offered. In 1952 - 53, five years after the program began, 109 awards were given.

By the 1980 - 81 academic year, the number of scholarships exceeded 1,000 annually. Ambassadors of Goodwill The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships Program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries. Today, the program sponsors several types of scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies.

While abroad, scholars serve as ambassadors of goodwill to the people of the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with local Rotarians and others the experiences that led to greater understanding of their host countries.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the program, The Rotary Foundation is sponsoring a 199798 "global peace team" of 50 scholars from around the world who specialize in international relations and peace studies. A U. S. peace team member will study nonviolent conflict resolution in India; another team member from Germany will focus on postapartheid reconstruction in South Africa. Others intend to teach cultural politics, serve as public policy advisors, and work for development agencies following their year abroad.

The special scholarships are named for Rotary's founder Paul Harris. Chris Jenkins, a 25yearold artist from Wyoming, rode his bicycle 7,000 miles to Chile for his scholarship in 199495. Once in Chile, he worked with disabled children to paint a mural in the town where he was studying. Following his scholarship year, he participated in a UN program to help refugees in Nairobi. PR58 (597) more

During her 1995-96 academic year in California, Romana Hlouskova of the Czech Republic lent her expertise while studying Film and Television Production to her hosting Rotarians by collaborating in the production of a video to promote literacy. In addition to narrating the video, entitled "Rotary: Literacy in Action," she assisted the children in creating their own animated short stories illustrating the importance of literacy.

A benefit not found in other scholarship programs is the scholar's association with Rotary clubs and Rotarians. Each scholar is assigned both a sponsor and a host Rotarian counselor who provide orientation, advice and assistance. Rotary Foundation scholarships may not be awarded to Rotarians, Rotary employees, spouses, parents, children or grandchildren of Rotarians.

Types of Scholarships

AcademicYear Ambassadorial Scholarships are for one academic year abroad and provide funding for roundtrip transportation, tuition and fees, room, board, necessary educational supplies, and language training (if necessary) up to a maximum award of US$22,OOO or its equivalent. MultiYear Ambassadorial Scholarships are flat grants of US$ 11,000 per year for either two or three years toward the cost of a degree program in another country.

Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarships provide funding for three or six months of intensive language study in another country, including homestay with a local family, up to a maximum of US$1O,OOO and US$17,000 respectively.

Scholarship statistics Total scholarships awarded (1947 through 199697): approximately 3O,OOO Total amount spent on scholarships (through 199697): US$320 million Number of fields studied by scholars in 199596: approximately 300 Countries which have hosted the most scholars: USA, England and France Countries which have sponsored the most scholars: USA, Japan and Brazil . . .

Average cost of an academic year scholarship in 1947: US$2,200 Average cost of an academicyear scholarship in 1995: US$ 18,200 Total number of institutions attended by Rotary scholars: approximately 3,500 First year women participated in the program: 194950 Percentage of districts that have participated in the program since 1947: 99 percent Prominent Alumni Many former scholars serve important posts with their governments; others are highly respected in their fields.

Examples of outstanding Rotary alumni include: Bill Moyers, a prominent U. S. journalist, Sadako Ogata, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Carlos Alberto Da Mota Pinto, former Prime Minister of Portugal, Otto Borch, Danish Ambassador to the U.S., and Roger Ebert, a popular U.S. film critic.