ARLINGTON, Va — The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has announced ISEP as a host for a 2017 Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow. This year’s fellow, Michael Alijewicz, holds a PhD in English from Vanderbilt University. Alijewicz will join the ISEP Global office in September. The 20 fellows, each a PhD in the humanities, will take up two-year, full-time positions with nonprofit organizations and government agencies working in the fields of policy, civil rights, arts and culture, and the media.
The 2017 fellows were selected from a record number of applicants based on their academic and non-academic accomplishments, as well as their demonstrated commitment to their chosen career field. All applications to the program undergo peer review, and finalists selected through this process are interviewed by senior staff at the program’s partnering host organizations.
Because of his passion for working with underrepresented students, as well as his background in international education, Alijewicz will serve ISEP for two years as the Student Success Officer. Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows program is designed to provide PhDs in the humanities or humanistic social sciences with significant, career-building experience in the government and nonprofit sectors. Reporting to ISEP President and CEO, John Lucas, Alijewicz will lead initiatives in ensuring inclusiveness within study abroad and developing informational material for first generation and minority students. Fellows receive professional mentoring from their host organizations and peer mentoring overseen by the Public Fellows alumni council.
ISEP is the largest global study abroad network, dedicated to helping students overcome the financial and academic barriers to study abroad. Through ISEP, students build real connections and gain a true understanding of what it is like to live in another culture. By utilizing existing academic resources at our partner universities, we are able to provide students access to affordable, high-quality programs, that in return help develop culturally sensitive skill sets needed for today’s global workforce.
The Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows program, made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, aims to expand the reach of doctoral education in the US by demonstrating that the capacities developed in the advanced study of the humanities have wide application, both within and beyond the academy.
For more information about ISEP contact Mary Catherine Chase at 703-504-9973 or mcchace@isep.org.
For more information about the Public Fellows program contact John Paul Christy at 212-697-1505 or publicfellows@acls.org.
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