Eisenhower Fellowships

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Eisenhower Fellowships

12/2005 SRP comes to a close Clockwise from top left: EF President John Wolf with Lama Mahadeen and Samer Asfour of Jordan; SRP Fellows and spouses with former President George H.W. Bush; Hala Zawati, Jordan, comments at the Fellows’ closing roundtable, as Medhat Youssef, Egypt, looks on; Deya Elyas, Saudi Arabia, waves from atop a tractor at the Ginger-Evans farm; and President Bush responds to a Fellow’s question at the U.S. foreign policy Q & A. The 2005 Arab Middle East Single Region Program came to close in Philadelphia this month, marking the beginning of the life-long Fellowship for 18 new Fellows from Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia. The regional program’s joint purposes—to offer unique programs to diverse rising stars and to forge bonds of Fellowship and friendship across borders in the region—were fulfilled fully by a combination of individual itineraries that took Fellows from coast to coast and group gatherings which brought them together in some locales off the beaten path... See full story here.
Sri Lankan Fellow named minister & advisor to the president Nivard Cabraal ’00, Sri Lanka, has been appointed advisor to the president on economic affairs and secretary of plan implementation by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. As reported last month, Cabraal served as an advisor in Rajapaksa’s successful presidential campaign this past fall. In the election, held November 17, Rajapaksa won just over 50% of the vote in a tight contest with opponent Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Fellow named Foundation president Kathy Higgins ’05, USA, has been named president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. For the past 10 years, Higgins has led all of BCBSNC’s corporate programs related to corporate philanthropy, employee volunteerism, and other community involvement. Under her leadership, BCBSNC has become known as one of the leading corporate citizens in North Carolina. Higgins was instrumental in the creation of the BCBSNC Foundation in 2000 and has served as its vice president and vice chairman. Since that time, the Foundation has awarded more than $16 million in grants. Major initiatives of the Foundation have included a partnership with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University to provide medical care for the uninsured, and the current five-year effort with the N.C. Association of Free Clinics to double the capacity of free clinics to serve the uninsured and underinsured in our state. Read about Higgins’ work to assist victims of America’s Gulf Coast Hurricane Katrina in the Fulbright Quarterly.
Fellow accepts ISoCaRP Award for Excellence Mthembeni Mhkize ’94, South Africa, has recently been recognized for his important leadership and success in urban planning efforts in his country. Mhkize galvanized two major metropolitan councils to participate in the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP) program. ISoCaRP is one of the foremost global planning organizations with a membership that includes planning institutions and top-level professionals from nearly 70 countries around the world. As a result of Mhkize’s efforts, the city of Durban was recognized with an ISoCaRP Award for Excellence in 2005 and Mhkize was on hand as the delegate of His Worship the Mayor of Obed Mlaba of Durban to accept. The theme for the awards this year was “Making Spaces for the Creative Economy” and Durban was selected for its creative approach to integrative local economic development of Cato Manor, the largest inner-city urban development project in post-apartheid South Africa. The experience of Cato Manor is considered by ISoCaRP to be significant and transferable as it forms the basis of other urban redevelopment initiatives in South Africa. Read more about Cato Manor here. “Mthembeni is bearing the torch of EF high in South Africa,” writes Reggie Ngcobo ’94, South Africa. “[His role] in this matter is seminal and significant not only for him and South Africa’s transformation but also highlights the role of Eisenhower Fellows in their countries and continents.”
Fellow receives concurrent fellow & scholar awards Stuart N. Brotman ’00, USA, past president and CEO of The Museum of Television & Radio in New York and Los Angeles, has been named a research fellow at The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School and a visiting scholar at MIT’s Comparative Media Studies Program. He is the first person to hold these appointments concurrently. At both universities, he will focus on business, technology, and policy issues related to global digital media development.
Fellow testifies on antitrust and biotechnology John E. Osborn ’98, USA, testified in Washington, D.C., in November 2005 on "Antitrust and the New Economy" before the Antitrust Modernization Commission, which was established by the Congress to evaluate the effectiveness and application of antitrust laws. In his testimony, Osborn addressed the review of prospective mergers in the life sciences industry by the Federal Trade Commission. Osborn also was recently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property for the U.S. District Court of Delaware. He is senior vice president and general counsel of the biopharmaceutical company Cephalon, Inc. in Frazer, Pennsylvania, a member of the Board of Directors of Incept BioSystems, a member of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center in Honolulu, and a visiting research collaborator in politics at Princeton University. Read more about Osborn’s testimony in BioWorld Today.
Named to Board of Governors William G. Smith ’03, USA, was appointed by the state Senate to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors in April of this year. Smith is president & CEO of Mutual Community Savings Bank in Durham, North Carolina.
South Asia into the 21^st Century South Asia into the 21^st Century is the theme around which Eisenhower Fellows, spouses, and honored guests will gather February 23-26 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo. Policy experts, business leaders, and NGO heads from the region will serve as keynote speakers in sessions such as "The State, Governance, and Politics," "The State, the World, and the Economy," "Environment and Development,” "Culture and the Arts," "Religion and Society," and "Education, Information, and the Media." The conference, which is being organized by the Eisenhower Fellows of Sri Lanka, the 2004 SRP Fellows from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and the Center for Policy Alternatives, will begin with an inauguration ceremony and dinner on the 23rd, followed by a day and half of dialogue on the various conference themes, and ending with a day at a nearby beach location. Further information is available at www.efsrilanka.info
Ag Fellows have first meeting The Eisenhower Fellows in agriculture had their first-ever gathering as a cohort at the 10^th annual Farm Journal Forum in Washington, D.C., December 5-6. Nine Fellows representing nine states from Maine to Idaho gathered with other farmers, policymakers, and agribusiness representatives to listen to Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and former CIA director James Woolsey, among others, speak on the current state of agriculture and the enormous potential for renewable fuels to boost the agriculture industry. On the second day of the conference, the Fellows were greeted personally by Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, one of the original authors of the legislation providing for congressional funding for EF and specifically for farmers.
Farmer of the Year Duane Grant ’03, USA, was named Minidoka County Farmer of the Year by the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce. Grant and other area leaders in agriculture—both farmers and businessmen— were honored at the 2005 Farmer Business Banquet. Grant is the owner and manager of Grant 4-D Farms, a 9,500 acre diversified irrigated row crop farm, using both genetically modified and conventional crop varieties. His Fellowship program to the European Union and Germany focused on biotechnology.	Duane Grant (right) of Grant 4-D Farms was honored Thursday as Minidoka County Farmer of the Year. He is shown with Joel Rogers, first vice president of the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce; Marianne Welch (center left), the Chamber's second vice-president, and Diane Newman, Chamber president. (Photo by South Idaho Press.)
Fellows meet to discuss digital divide David Cohen, the executive vice president of the Comcast Corporation, met with Philadelphia area alumni at the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs to discuss the future of the media and internet in bridging the digital divide in education. The discussion was moderated by James Eisenhower ‘02, partner at Schnader Harrison Lewis Segal, LLP. The Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Lab is an educational center affiliated with Project H.O.M.E., the organization founded and headed by Sister Mary Scullion ‘02. Equipped with 255 computers and Smart Boards in every classroom to promote interactive learning, the center tailors its programs to the needs of residents of the surrounding North Philadelphia community. Also in attendance were Timothy Boyle ’05, Daniel Castro ’01, Jane Golden ‘03, Greg Goldman ’03, Gail Harrity ’02, David Hyman ’02, Felix James ’05, Thomas Lussenhop ‘01, Diane Melley ‘01, John Osborn ‘98, Pedro Ramos ’00, David Thornburgh ’00, and Kimberly Turner ’05.
Fellow hosts international conference Rubens Born ’96, Brazil, executive director of the Vitae Civilis Institute, hosted delegates from the United States, South Africa, and Brazil for a conference on “Solar Water Heating as a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy.” The event was jointly organized by Born’s organization and Green Markets International of the United States. Learn more about the Vitae Civilis Institute here.
Russian Fellow honored by President Vladimir Putin This month Valery Tishkov ’80, Russia, delivered a lecture on "Post-Soviet States and Societies" at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Washington, D.C. A month earlier President Vladimir Putin appointed Tishkov, among other 42 outstanding citizens, a member of The Public Chamber of The Russian Federation, a new organ which will represent Russian civil society. Tishkov’s newest book, Chechnya: Life in a War Torn Society, was published by the University of California Press in 2004.	The newest book by Valery Tishkov ’80, Russia.
Istanbul is site for September meeting Five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks that changed the world, Eisenhower Fellows from Europe, the Middle East, and beyond are gathering in Istanbul on September 10-12, 2006, to pursue dialogue, understanding, and collaboration on a number of issues that divide peoples and nations in global confrontation. Under the conference title Building Networks for Change, specific topics will include education and culture, energy security, sustainable growth and environment, women in society, religion and politics, and prosperity for peace. The Turkish Fellows, led by the Honorable Suleyman Demirel, ninth president of Turkey and the most senior Eisenhower Fellow, are proud to extend an invitation to the unique city that has served as a bridge between east and west through many civilizations. They look forward to showcasing the fascinating city of Istanbul and to sharing their region’s experiences for a better future for all. For more information, visit www.efistanbul.com.