COLOMBIA: CURRENT PROGRAMS

COLCIENCIAS Science & Technology Program
Sponsor: Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” (COLCIENCIAS)
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Science, technology
Timeframe: 2005–present (third generation of a program that began in 1995)
Description: The COLCIENCIAS Science & Technology Program enables Colombian professors and researchers in engineering and the natural and social sciences to pursue masters and doctoral degrees at universities outside Colombia. More information

Fulbright Antioquia Faculty Grant
Sponsor: Fulbright Program, Grupo Suramericana
Country: Colombia
Program focus: All fields of study, with the exception of clinical health sciences
Timeframe: 2008-present
Description: An agreement with Grupo Suramericana, a union of industrial and service companies based in the state of Antioquia, led to the creation in 2008 of the Fulbright Antioquia Faculty Grant. This scholarship program is open to professors from public universities in Antioquia who are interested in pursuing graduate level studies (masters or doctorate) in the United States. The program also seeks to strengthen existing relationships and create new ones between the academic and scientific communities of Antioquia and the United States. The program is open to all fields of study, with the exception of clinical health sciences. One grant is offered. More Information

Fulbright Faculty Development Program
Sponsor: Fulbright Program; U.S., Latin American, and Caribbean universities, foundations, and corporations
Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela
Program focus: Faculty development
Timeframe: 1975–present
Description: The Fulbright Faculty Development Program brings up to 150 educators each year from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States for advanced studies in a wide variety of disciplines. The program began in 1975 in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador and additional countries were added over time. Cost-share partners supplement the basic grant by providing tuition assistance and other forms of complementary funding. To date, over 3,000 faculty members from higher education institutions throughout the region have obtained advanced degrees or conducted research in the United States through the Fulbright Faculty Development Program. Please see the individual country listings for information on specific cost-share initiatives. More information

Fulbright–Afro-Colombians Leadership Training Program
Sponsor: Fulbright Program, Colombian Ministry of Education, ICETEX, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Country: Colombia
Program focus: All fields of study with the exception of clinical health sciences
Timeframe: 2008-present
Description: The Afro-Colombians Leadership Training Program is the result of a valuable collaboration between the Colombian Ministry of Education, ICETEX, a Colombian agency that helps provide access to higher education, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Fulbright, and LASPAU. The program, launched in 2008, provides up to seven scholarships for Afro-Colombians to pursue graduate level studies (masters or doctorate) in the United States. The program is open to all fields of study, with the exception of clinical health sciences. The program includes English courses, test preparation, and leadership training in Colombia prior to beginning the graduate studies program in the US. Candidates should demonstrate how their studies will contribute to community and national development. More Information

Fulbright–Cerrejón Grant
Sponsor: Fulbright Program, Cerrejón
Country: Colombia
Program focus: All fields of study, with the exception of the arts and the clinical health sciences
Timeframe: 2008-present
Description: An agreement with Cerrejón, a coal mining company in the Colombian state of La Guajira, led to the creation in 2008 of the Fulbright – Cerrejón Grant. Aimed at improving educational opportunities in La Guajira, this scholarship program is open to academics, researchers, and professionals from La Guajira interested in pursuing graduate level studies (masters or doctorate) in the United States. Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to the socioeconomic, scientific, and technological development of the state of La Guajira and Colombia in general. Preference is given to candidates who reside in La Guajira and have plans to remain there professionally. The program is open to all fields of study, with the exception of the arts and the clinical health sciences. One grant is offered. More Information

Fulbright–COLCIENCIAS Program II
Sponsors: Colombian Fulbright Commission; Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” (COLCIENCIAS)
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Science, technology
Timeframe: 2003–present
Description: An extension of the Fulbright–COLCIENCIAS Program, this partnership between the Fulbright Program and COLCIENCIAS provides funding for master’s and doctoral level study in fields related to science and technology. To date, 23 individuals have been selected to participate in the program.

Fulbright–COLCIENCIAS–DNP Program II
Sponsors: Colombian Fulbright Commission; Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” (COLCIENCIAS); Colombian government’s Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP)
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Science, technology
Timeframe: 2005–present
Description: An extension of the Fulbright–COLCIENCIAS–DNP Program, this effort expanded the Fulbright–COLCIENCIAS partnership for science and technology development through collaborative funding from the Colombian government’s department of national planning. To date, 11 grantees have been selected to participate in this program.

Fulbright–Colombian University Partnerships
Sponsors: Colombian Fulbright Commission; Colombian universities
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Faculty development
Timeframe: 1998–present
Description: The Fulbright Commission signed agreements with Colombian universities to enable faculty members to pursue graduate degrees in the United States. The universities fund the grantees' monthly maintenance payments. These institutions include Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, and Cali, Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga and Manizales, Universidad Autónoma de Occidente, Universidad EAFIT, Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad de Cartagena, Universidad de Los Andes, Universidad de Nariño, Universidad del Cauca, Universidad del Norte, Universidad del Tolima, Universidad del Valle, Universidad ICESI, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Manizales, and Medellín, Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia.

Fulbright–Cultural Studies for Afro-Colombians and Indigenous Populations Program
Sponsor: Fulbright Program, Colombian Ministry of Education
Country: Colombia
Program focus: All fields of study with a cultural component
Timeframe: 2008-present
Description: With the aim of increasing higher education opportunities for Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations in Colombia, the Colombian Ministry of Culture and Fulbright joined forces to offer the Cultural Studies for Afro-Colombians and Indigenous Populations Program. This program, launched in 2008, provides up to five scholarships for Afro-Colombians and indigenous peoples to study at the graduate level (masters or doctorate) in the United States. The program is open to all fields of study with a cultural component. Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to their culture and community and show how their studies will contribute to community and national development. More Information

Fulbright Graduate Program for the Regions
Sponsor: Fulbright Program; Colombian Fulbright Commission, Colombian Ministry of Education, Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” (COLCIENCIAS), Colombian Department of National Planning
Countries: Colombia
Program focus: Institutional development
Timeframe: 2007 - present
Description: The Graduate Program for the Regions is the result of a valuable partnership involving the Colombian Fulbright Commission, the Colombian Ministry of Education, COLCIENCIAS, the Colombian Department of National Planning, and LASPAU. Designed to extend the reach of the Fulbright Program in Colombia, the Graduate Program for the Regions offers grants to researchers, academics, and professionals from outside the capital city of Bogotá, offering the benefits of study abroad to talented individuals who otherwise might have difficulty accessing such opportunities. Awards are for master’s or doctoral study in the United States, with an emphasis on fields related to scientific or technological innovation. The Program was launched in February 2007. More information

Fulbright–Grupo Suramericana Program
Sponsors: Colombian Fulbright Commission; Grupo Suramericana
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Private sector training
Timeframe: 1998–present
Description: An agreement signed with Grupo Suramericana, a union of industrial and service companies based in the state of Antioquia, has enabled 32 grantees from the private-sector companies affiliated with the group to pursue master’s degrees in the United States. The program is managed by a tripartite committee composed of one representative each from Suramericana, the Colombian Fulbright Commission, and LASPAU.

Lewis A. Tyler Trustees’ Fund
Sponsor: LASPAU Board of Trustees
Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
Program focus: Research grants
Timeframe: 1989–present
Description: The fund provides research support to current LASPAU-administered grantees whose work encourages the exchange of ideas, staff, or resources between institutions in Europe, the United States, or Canada and those in Latin America and the Caribbean. The award enables students to advance their research while strengthening international ties between institutions, two endeavors that embody LASPAU’s vision. The fund, named after former LASPAU executive director Lewis A. Tyler, is sponsored by current and former members of the LASPAU Board of Trustees and by others who support LASPAU’s efforts. More information

Maestría de Desarrollo Comunitario Sustentable (MDCS)
Sponsor: W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF)
Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru
Program focus: Sustainable community development
Timeframe: 2004–2007
Description: This distance-learning master’s degree program in sustainable community development is training a cadre of Latin American and Caribbean community leaders working in rural development and food security. Supported by a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the program is administered by LASPAU in conjunction with the Universidad Nacional of Costa Rica (UNA) and Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Seguridad Alimentaria y Desarrollo Sustentable (RedLayc). MDCS began in 2005 with 28 students from 11 countries. The grantees were drawn from the Redlayc network of NGOs supported by WKKF and occupy leadership positions in these organizations. In addition to an introductory workshop and distance-learning courses taught by UNA, the students will participate in two extended field trips organized by RedLayc.

OAS-Placed Graduate Scholarship Program
Sponsor: Organization of American States (OAS)
Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
Program focus: Economic diversification and integration, trade liberalization, and market access; education; social development and the creation of productive employment; scientific development and exchange and transfer of technology; strengthening of democratic institutions
Timeframe: 2002–present
Description: This program supports graduate studies for outstanding individuals throughout the Americas who are placed by LASPAU in degree programs at universities in OAS member countries. To ensure that available funds support the maximum number of grants, LASPAU negotiates with admitting universities to secure tuition assistance in the form of scholarships and assistantships. The goal of the program is to fortify the disciplines and institutions most important to building a strong future in the region. To this end, grantees pursue studies in fields critical to addressing issues such as the struggle against poverty and inequality; consolidating democracy; and achieving integral, just, and sustainable social and economic development. To date, over 280 individuals have participated in the program. More information

OAS Self-Placed Graduate Scholarship Program
Sponsor: Organization of American States (OAS)
Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
Program focus: Culture; economic diversification and integration, trade liberalization, and market access; education; social development and the creation of productive employment; scientific development and exchange and transfer of technology; strengthening of democratic institutions; sustainable development and the environment; sustainable development of tourism
Timeframe: 2002–present
Description: This effort supports graduate degree programs for outstanding individuals throughout the Americas who have obtained their own university admission. It is designed to fortify the disciplines and institutions most important to building a strong future in the region. To this end, grantees pursue studies in fields critical to addressing issues such as the struggle against poverty and inequality; consolidating democracy; and achieving integral, just, and sustainable social and economic development. To date, approximately 440 individuals have participated in the program. More information in English | Español

COLOMBIA: PAST PROGRAMS

Amazon Basin Scholarship Program
Sponsors: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Ford Foundation, Fulbright Program, Smithsonian Institution, Wildlife Conservation International
Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Program focus : Environment
Timeframe: 1991–2001
Description: The Amazon Basin Scholarship Program enabled 79 professionals from the Amazon region to examine multidisciplinary approaches to environmental issues. Grants were offered for master’s level study and one-year or non-degree certificate programs in the natural sciences, social sciences, and public policy. Grantees were also encouraged to pursue short-term internships at U.S. agencies or environmental organizations. The program sponsors listed above provided funding at different times and, in some cases, for grantees from a specific country. In 2001, the Amazon Basin Scholarship Program and the Caribbean and Central American Ecology Program were combined and expanded into the Fulbright–OAS Ecology Initiative through a partnership between the Fulbright Program and the Organization of American States.

COLCIENCIAS Program for the Formation of Human Resources and Strengthening of the Scientific Community I
Sponsors: Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” (COLCIENCIAS); Inter-American Development Bank
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Science, technology
Timeframe: 1995–2001
Description: This project enabled 245 Colombian professors in the natural and social sciences and in engineering to pursue graduate degrees and short-term research. The program had two components. LASPAU assisted COLCIENCIAS by providing program monitoring and financial services for the 114 grantees who studied in the United States. LASPAU also provided academic monitoring for the 131 grantees studying in the following international locations: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela.

COLCIENCIAS Program for the Formation of Human Resources and Strengthening of the Scientific Community II
Sponsors: Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” (COLCIENCIAS); Inter-American Development Bank
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Science, technology
Timeframe: 2002–2006
Description: This program, an extension of the earlier program of the same name, enabled Colombian professors and researchers in the natural and social sciences and in engineering to pursue graduate degrees, primarily at the doctoral level. LASPAU assisted COLCIENCIAS by providing program monitoring and financial services. Thirty-two grantees completed academic programs in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Dow Química Professional Search Program
Sponsor: Dow Química do Brasil; Dow Química de Colombia; Dow Química Mexicana
Country: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico
Program focus: Corporate development
Timeframe: 1986–1989
Description: Dow Química requested LASPAU’s assistance in locating highly talented non-sponsored Colombian, Brazilian, and Mexican students completing their education at U.S. institutions. The program provided recent graduates with interviews for potential employment at an appropriately challenging level at Dow in the individual’s county of origin, thus addressing the “return of talent” that is of concern to government and industry throughout the region. In 1989, the final year of the program, LASPAU contacted students at 90 U.S. universities and facilitated Dow’s interviews with 109 graduates.

Dow Química Scholarship Program
Sponsors: Dow Química de Colombia
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Business administration and management
Timeframe: 1988–1989
Description: Dow Química funded one grantee for a short-term program in business administration and management.

Executive Education Program in Managing Science, Technology, and Innovation
Sponsor: Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” (COLCIENCIAS)
Countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
Program focus: Science, technology
Timeframe: 2005–2006
Description: This program linked COLCIENCIAS, LASPAU, and the Universidad del Rosario’s Center for Knowledge Management and Innovation in an effort to provide 60 government, academic, and business leaders from the Andean Region with training in the most recent policies and practices in managing issues related to science, technology, and innovation. The program was designed for senior policymakers in government agencies, managers of technological institutions, and decisionmakers in the business sector and in academia. The program consisted of an introductory conference and five subsequent seminars held in Colombia and the United States. More information

Food Technology and Nutrition Program (PAN)
Sponsors: Colombian government’s Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP); World Bank
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Faculty development (nutrition, food technology)
Timeframe: 1978–1979
Description: The DNP’s Plan Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición (PAN) was established to (1) diminish childhood and maternal malnutrition, (2) decrease infant mortality, (3) promote consumption of high nutrition food, and (4) promote the development of adequate health care facilities. In collaboration with LASPAU, the project strengthened university nutrition programs by training Colombian faculty members in nutrition education, food technology, and quality control. PAN grantees undertook graduate studies at U.S. universities.

Fulbright Colombian Non-Degree Program
Sponsor: Colombian Fulbright Commission
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Faculty development
Timeframe: 1992–1995
Description: Sixteen grantees participated in short-term, nondegree programs in the United States. Fields of study included education, science education, plant sciences, psychology, educational technology, history, chemistry, labor industrial relations, foreign languages education, biochemistry, teaching English as a second language (TESL), computer and information science, nutrition, sociology, environmental education, and family relations.

Fulbright/Coca-Cola Scholarship Program
Sponsors: Colombian Fulbright Commission; Coca-Cola Colombia
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Journalism
Timeframe: 1999–2000
Description: This partnership between Coca-Cola Colombia and the Fulbright Commission sponsored two grantees in the field of economic journalism, one for a 12-month non-degree training program, the other for a 3-month intensive summer course. Both placements included an internship with a publisher in the grantee’s city of study. The grants were awarded on the basis of an open competition among members of the Colombian press who displayed the potential to lead and improve economic journalism in the country.

Fulbright–COLCIENCIAS–DNP Program I
Sponsors: Colombian Fulbright Commission; Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” (COLCIENCIAS); Colombian government’s Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP)
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Science, technology
Timeframe: 2000–2005
Description: The Fulbright–COLCIENCIAS partnership was expanded by collaborative funding from the Colombian government’s department of national planning, providing additional support for master’s and doctoral level study in fields related to science and technology. Thirty grantees benefited from the program.

Fulbright–ICETEX Scholarship/Loan Program
Sponsors: Colombian Fulbright Commission; Instituto Colombiano de Crédito Educativo y Estudios Técnicos en el Exterior (ICETEX)
Country: Colombia
Program focus: Faculty development, public sector training
Timeframe: 1985–1992
Description: The Fulbright–ICETEX program provided loans and scholarships for advanced training in the United States to 93 professionals from universities, research institutes, and other institutions. The program was jointly sponsored by the Fulbright Program, ICETEX (the Colombian institute for educational credit and technical studies abroad), and the Fulbright Commission in Colombia.

Higher Education in Latin America: Helping Institutions Respond to the Challenges of Reform
Sponsor: Ford Foundation
Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
Program focus: Higher education reform
Timeframe: 1996–1997
Description: A far-reaching grant from the Ford Foundation to LASPAU continued the work of the Latin American Fellows Program on Higher Education. The additional funding supported in-country roundtables on higher education reform; case studies to inform practitioners about reform efforts and form the curriculum for a professional development program; a Harvard symposium on higher education reform; and wide dissemination of the published outcomes of the roundtables, case studies, and symposium.

IBM Network Project
Sponsor: IBM Latin America
Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
Program focus: Electronic communications
Timeframe: 1990–1992
Description: IBM provided a $50,000 grant to enable LASPAU to establish its Network Project in 1990. The project was designed to encourage computer communications for academic purposes throughout the Americas with the intention of stimulating greater communications among former grantees, their colleagues, and faculty in the United States. As a result of this early program, a number of electronic mailing lists were established, some of which are still in active use. More information

International Study Grants Program for Latin America and the Caribbean
Sponsor: W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF)
Countries: Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru
Program focus: Social leadership
Timeframe: 1999–2003
Description: Fellowships for long- or short-term study abroad were granted to professionals at institutions—including universities, nongovernmental organizations, and government agencies and ministries—actively engaged in projects funded by WFFK, with the goal of contributing to the success of those projects. To achieve the greatest impact, WKKF targeted grants toward specific areas of community need such as health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; higher education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Half of the 61 fellows administered by LASPAU studied in the United States, and the other half studied in Latin America or Europe. More information

LASPAU Faculty Development Program
Sponsor: North and South American institutions; U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela
Program focus: Faculty development
Timeframe: 1965–1975
Description: A collaboration between USAID, U.S. universities, and Latin American universities, this program was LASPAU’s first effort devoted exclusively to faculty development. 1,600 young people from across Latin America obtained U.S. graduate degrees in preparation for careers in academia and returned home to contribute to the teaching and research missions of their home institutions. More information

Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities
Sponsor: Ford Foundation; U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. universities
Countries: Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru
Program focus: Undergraduate and graduate scholarships
Timeframe: 1964–1968
Description: The original program from which LASPAU’s name is derived, this cooperative venture initiated by Harvard University in 1964 provided full scholarships to colleges across the United States for outstanding Latin American youths of limited economic means. More information

Leadership Strengthening Program II
Sponsor: W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF)
Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru
Program focus: Social leadership
Timeframe: 2001–2002
Description: A continuation of the Leadership Strengthening Program I, this joint LASPAU–Tec de Monterrey program sought to strengthen the leaders of nongovernmental organizations that were recipients of WKKF funding. The program’s goal was to build a cadre of socially minded leaders who, through their projects, would work for the common good and have an increasingly significant social impact on their respective countries. The 20 participants undertook a three-week session at ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico, one week at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and nine months of online learning.

Leadership Strengthening Program III
Sponsor: W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF)
Countries: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico
Program focus: Social leadership
Timeframe: 2002–2003
Description: A continuation of the previous two Leadership Strengthening Programs, this joint LASPAU–Tec de Monterrey initiative sought to strengthen the leaders of nongovernmental organizations that were recipients of WKKF funding. The program’s goal was to build a cadre of socially minded leaders who, through their projects, would work for the common good and have an increasingly significant social impact on their respective countries. The 15 participants undertook a three-week session at ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico, one week at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and nine months of online learning.

Mellon Foundation Programs in Electronic Communications
Sponsor: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Venezuela
Program focus: Electronic communications
Timeframe: 1991–1998
Description: The Mellon Foundation provided grants to LASPAU to support the development of electronic communications systems at universities and research institutions in Latin America and to fund in-country training programs in telecommunications technology and research techniques for Latin American scholars. In all, 4,000 individuals and over 80 institutions in 14 countries benefited from these efforts. More information