Sixteen New Fulbright Grants for Dominican Citizens
By Craig E. Hastings
Thanks to the outstanding fundraising efforts of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, the generous donations of corporate and individual sponsors in the Dominican Republic, and partial matching funds from the Dominican government, approximately $640,000 has been committed to provide 16 new Fulbright grants to Dominican citizens for the fall of 2001. The academically talented recipients, all of whom are in the early stages of their careers, received Fulbright grants to pursue master’s degrees in the United States through the new U.S.-Dominican Alliance for Excellence Program.
The grantees were selected by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo and LASPAU after a rigorous process that included personal interviews with nearly 50 candidates chosen from a large applicant pool. LASPAU is currently researching academic placement options for the 16 grantees, including seeking support from U.S. host universities in the form of tuition assistance, scholarships, or assistantships.
The first grantee placed in an academic program was Rafael Taveras, who will study Civil Engineering (Structures) at Northeastern University. Northeastern will provide Taveras with financial support in the form of a tuition fellowship from the Provost’s Office.
The goal of the Alliance for Excellence Program is to contribute to a better future for the Dominican Republic through advanced education. The U.S. Embassy, the Dominican government, and the Dominican business community have committed to continuing their successful fundraising efforts for another year, and funds have already been raised for additional grants for the fall of 2002.
2001 Fulbright Alliance for Excellence Grantees and Donors
