Crystal balls may be in short supply these days, but Eastern Michigan University is helping to make the unknown a little less threatening.
The Office of Research Development (ORD) is participating in an educational fellowship program created under the Freedom Support Act and funded by the U.S. Department of State. The initiative gives grants to 300 college students from post-Soviet countries to attend school for two semesters in the United States. Nearly 150 U.S. colleges and universities are host institutions.
"The goal of this program is to ensure democracy in post-Soviet countries and to have open lines of communication between their countries and ours so that future leaders have a common ground." said Joanne Hartmeyer, ORD project officer. "
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FOREIGN FLAVOR: (from left) Russian students
Nigina Avganova, Zarema Suleymanova, Huseyn
Asmailov and Illia Vinokourov take a moment
during a visit to Cedar Point last spring. The
students became better acclimated to EMU by
having Presidential Scholars as roommates.
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After experiencing life in a democratic country, students will have new ideas about the U.S. and international relations and will hopefully use those concepts to help make a difference in the way future leaders interact, said Hartmeyer.
EMU welcomed its first student in 2002. However, the experience didn't go as smoothly as planned when the student's American roommate turned out to be less than ideal. So, when the University took on four new students in 2003, ORD decided to make some changes.
The students — from Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Russia — shared rooms this past year with four Presidential Scholars, honor students who receive a full-ride scholarship to EMU.
"We wanted to put the students with roommates mature enough to help them out," said Hartmeyer. "The Presidential Scholars have been remarkable. They'll never know how helpful they've been."
However, the Presidential Scholars aren't too concerned with gratitude or notoriety.
"It was no big sacrifice," said Ellen Gutman of her roommate Nigina Avganova. "We get along pretty well and it's been a very good experience for both of us."
The students, who returned home in May, had to meet and maintain several requirements to receive funding to come to the United States. Throughout their two-semester stay, the international students were required to maintain a 3.5 GPA, carry a full course load, participate in community service and work at an internship pertaining to their field of study. They also had to be somewhat fluent in English.
"It's a major cooperative effort to meet program requirements," said Hartmeyer. "But there's no doubt in my mind that every bit is worth it. Nobody can tell me it won't make a difference in both their lives and ours."
Once the students return, grant stipulations mandate that they continue their studies for two years in their home countries. Following that, they are free to return to the United States.
For more information about the program, call Hartmeyer at 487-3090.
