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**Jefferson Fellowships**

**APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR FALL 2008 JEFFERSON FELLOWSHIPS**

The East-West Center now is accepting applications for 12 Fall 2008
Jefferson Fellowships, which provide three weeks of professional
dialogue, study and travel for print and broadcast journalists from the
United States, Asia and the Pacific Islands.

**The program will take place October 18 - November 9, 2008.** It will
begin at the East-West Center in Honolulu and continue with a study tour
to Phoenix, Arizona; Erie, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; and
Washington, DC in the United States. During the study tour, all twelve
Jefferson Fellows will travel together and share their experiences and
insights as they explore the issues of importance in the 2008 U.S.
Presidential election. The program will conclude in Washington, DC.

**[The deadline for submitting applications is Wednesday, June 4,
2008]{.underline}.**

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The theme of the Fall 2008 program will be:

**The 2008 U.S. Presidential Election**

Americans will go to the polls on November 4, 2008 to elect a new
President and Vice President and to vote for a host of other national
and local offices. For the first time since 1952, there is no incumbent
President or Vice President seeking election, and for the first time
ever, the primary field includes both an African American and a woman as
front runners. The race for President will certainly be about
personalities, character and experience. It also will turn on the
candidates\' positions on key issues that have a major impact on the
lives of ordinary Americans as well other countries. This year, the war
in Iraq, national security, the U.S. economy, globalization, trade,
health care and immigration top the agenda. But as was seen in 2004,
there are other factors that can sway the electorate: Will \"values\"
voters again exert their influence? To what extent will a candidate\'s
likeability play a role? And this year, what impact will gender or race
have on the election?

This special Jefferson Fellowships program will provide journalists from
Asia, the Pacific and the U.S. with an opportunity to explore the
important issues in this 2008 election, learn about the U.S. political
process, observe this historic election and finally, discuss the outcome
with U.S. analysts and one another. The Fellows in this program also
will benefit from the opportunity to share among themselves the
perspectives of journalists from across the region and the concerns of
their governments and people.

After one week of discussion sessions with regional experts and one
another at the East-West Center in Honolulu, participants will travel to
various areas of the United States to discuss election issues and
attitudes with policymakers, business leaders, community activists, and
most importantly, voters from a range of important constituencies such
as recent immigrants, retirees, blue collar workers, factory owners,
religious groups, African American communities, young people and women.
In Phoenix, Arizona, John McCain's home state, Fellows will explore the
complexities of health care and immigration. In Erie, Pennsylvania and
Cleveland, Ohio, cities in America's "rust-belt," an area hard hit by
globalization, the program will focus on attitudes toward the economy,
trade, social values, and America's future. Fellows will observe the
election in Ohio, the state that determined the 2004 contest in favor of
George Bush and which is predicted to serve as a bellwether again this
year. They will then travel to Washington, DC for a discussion with
analysts, policymakers, journalists and others on what the results mean
for the United States and its relations with Asia, the Pacific and the
rest of the world.

# Who May Apply

The Jefferson Fellowships are designed for working print, broadcast and
on-line journalists with a minimum of five years of professional
experience, though some flexibility is allowed in assessing the
applications. The program is open to reporters and editors;
"gatekeepers" who help determine the content of coverage by their news
organizations; editorial writers, commentators and columnists; and
broadcast producers.

Study sessions, discussions and briefings are conducted in English;
fluency in that language is required.

**[Program Purpose and Content]{.underline}**

The Jefferson Fellowships program was launched in 1967 to enhance public
understanding through the news media of cultures, issues and trends in
the Asia Pacific region, broadly defined as Asia, the Pacific Islands
and the United States. The long-range goal is to help news organizations
build staff expertise about regional concerns and trends, so that their
readers, viewers and listeners may be better informed.

The Fellowships provide the participating journalists with a wide range
of perspectives through dialogue with professional colleagues,
participation in seminars and meetings with business and government
decision-makers, scholars and students, social activists, cultural
analysts and others. These contacts, and a network of more than 500
former Jefferson Fellows, provide participants with resources on whom to
call when they plan, assign, edit and produce news coverage involving or
affecting the region.

The first week of the program consists of dialogue among the Fellows,
including a short seminar led by each Fellow; lecture discussions with
East-West Center researchers and other experts; and field visits. This
will be followed by a study tour to cities in Asia and/or the United
States.

**[Professional Exchange]{.underline}**

**One essential element of this professional experience is the
journalist-to-journalist exchange. Central to this is a presentation
that each Fellow will give to his or her fellow participants.** Each
Fellow is required to prepare and submit four weeks before arriving at
the Center a short paper (1,000--1,500 words). The paper should address
a significant issue **in the participant's country** that is relevant to
the theme of the program and discuss how the country -- at the
government, private sector and/or socio-cultural level -- is responding
to the issue. The Jefferson Fellowships coordinator will work with
invited Fellows to develop a series of presentations relevant to the
theme.

Each Fellow also will make a short oral presentation (approximately 10
minutes) and lead a group discussion based on the previously submitted
paper.

The purpose of the papers and presentations is to tap the education and
experience of participating journalists in ways that will be
professionally useful to fellow participants as they study, assess, and
report in their media on the themes of the program and the Asia Pacific
region.

**[East-West Center, University of Hawai'i and Other
Resources]{.underline}**

East-West Center fellows and research staff, University of Hawai'i
faculty and other experts will lead seminars addressing historical,
cultural, social, media, political, security, economic and other issues
in an Asia Pacific regional context. During their time in Hawai'i, the
Fellows are encouraged to avail themselves individually of Asia Pacific
resources in the community, including staff and library facilities at
the Center and the University of Hawai'i. (The Center and the University
are separate institutions but cooperate on a range of projects.)

**[Study Tour]{.underline}**

Field study for the Fall 2008 program will consist of group travel for
17 days. All the Fellows will travel together to Phoenix, Erie,
Cleveland and Washington, DC. The East-West Center will coordinate the
travel segment of the program, working with on-the-ground partners in
each city, as well as its network of alumni, including former Jefferson
Fellows, who often volunteer to host, guide and advise traveling
Fellows, and to arrange appointments and interviews.

# Funding

The Center provides the Fellows with economy class air transportation
from their home cities to Honolulu, to the study tour destinations and
from the final city of the study tour back to their home countries. The
Center also provides lodging at the East-West Center guesthouse in
Honolulu and at moderately priced hotels during the study tour. A modest
per diem to cover living costs (food and incidentals) not met by the
program is provided in Honolulu and during the study tour. The Center
will sponsor J-1 United States visas for Asia-Pacific Fellows, **but
Fellows will be responsible for all applicable visa fees, as well as any
other visa-related expenses.**

**Employer commitment to the program is important.** News organizations
are asked to help their employees participate by providing part of the
cost whenever possible. An "Employer's Statement of Support" is a
required part of the application. While financial assistance from the
employer is not required, employers are encouraged to provide support to
their Jefferson Fellows as a demonstration of their commitment to the
program. Other kinds of employer support, such as hosting visiting
Jefferson Fellows, are welcomed.

Fellows may arrive in Honolulu prior to the October 18 program start
date and remain in the U.S. after the November 9 close of the program
(subject to appropriate visa status). However, costs for housing, food
and incidentals will be at each Fellow's own expense for additional days
beyond the official program dates.

The Jefferson Fellowships are supported by a grant from The Freeman
Foundation, of Stowe, Vermont. The grant funds all travel costs,
lodging, per diem and other program expenses. About half of the
East-West Center's general funding comes from a U.S. government
appropriation and the rest from private foundations and agencies, media
organizations, individuals, corporations and governments in the Asia
Pacific region. Official agencies, private companies, research
organizations, East-West Center alumni and volunteers contribute to the
program on a regular basis.

**[How to Apply]{.underline}**

Please access the Jefferson Fellowships application form and complete
instructions on how to apply at our website:
<http://www.EastWestCenter.org/jefferson>.

**In addition to the two page application form, applicants must also
include the following:**

-   A letter outlining your issues of interest, a brief description of
    your news organization, and what you expect to accomplish if an
    award is granted. Please suggest topics you propose to address in
    your paper and presentation at the East-West Center (maximum three
    pages, double-spaced, please).

-   Names, addresses, phone/fax numbers and e-mail of three people who
    may be contacted by the Center as references. Two of these
    references should be people outside your news organization.

-   A letter of recommendation on official letterhead from your
    supervisor describing your suitability for the Fellowship and the
    benefit the organization hopes to derive from your participation in
    the program.

-   The "Employer's Statement of Support" form completed by your
    employer.

NOTE: Samples of your work are not required. If you wish to include
samples, we prefer web links to articles (when possible) rather than
hard copies.

Please send applications to the East-West Center by **[Wednesday, June
4]{.underline}** via:

**E-MAIL:** <jefferson@eastwestcenter.org>

OR

**FAX:** (808) 944-7600

OR

**POST:** Jefferson Fellowships Program, East-West Seminars\
East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96848-1601, USA

**TEL:** (808) 944-7682

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> *The East-West Center contributes to a peaceful, prosperous and just
> Asia Pacific community by serving as a vigorous hub for cooperative
> research, education and dialogue on critical issues of common concern
> to the Asia Pacific region and the United States. The Center serves as
> a national and regional resource for information and analysis on Asia
> and the Pacific. It provides a meeting ground where people with a wide
> range of perspectives exchange views on topics of regional concern.
> Since the Center's founding in 1960, close to 50,000 people have
> participated in its programs. Many of these participants now occupy
> key positions in government, business, journalism and education in the
> region.*
>
> *The East-West Center is a public, non-profit national and regional
> research and education institution with an international board of
> governors. About half of the Center's funding comes from a U.S.
> government appropriation and the rest from private foundations and
> agencies, media organizations, individuals, corporations, and a number
> of Asian and Pacific governments.*