Item Posted: April 30, 2009

Start Planning for EF Day 2009

EF Day 2009 is approaching. October 14, the anniversary of the founding of Eisenhower Fellowships and the birthday of President Eisenhower, will once again be celebrated as Eisenhower Day of Fellowship worldwide. The festivities, programs, and alumni chapters that were launched to inaugurate EF Day in 2008 demonstrated a tremendous spirit and unity of purpose among Fellows. We look to build on the number of Fellows participating and the awareness of EF as a global institution making an impact in international dialogue, understanding and collaboration.

To view suggestions for 2009 and a few highlights from 2008, click here.

Item Posted: April 30, 2009

Paris Conference Boasts Beautiful, Rare Venues

One of the many highlights of the 2009 international Eisenhower Fellowships conference in Paris, Energy: The Challenges for Environment and Security, held October 1st-2nd, will be the conference venues.

Sessions on October 1st will begin in the prestigious reception rooms of L’Association France-Amériques, not far from the Champs Elysées. France-Amériques has become a privileged meeting place for French and American opinion leaders from the worlds of diplomacy, defense, business, academia, and cultural institutions.

The day will conclude with the official conference opening dinner, which will take place at the French Senate (shown at left). Housed in historical Luxembourg Palace, the French Senate is guarded by Republican Guards and features the stunning Jardin du Luxembourg.

October 2nd sessions will be held in the offices of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris (CCIP). Founded in 1803 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the CCIP is housed in the glamorous Hôtel Potocki, also in the neighborhood of the Champs-Elysées. The CCIP is comprised of 80 representatives of the Paris business community, themselves CEOs of companies in various sectors. They actively contribute to the economic development of Paris and its region.

The conference will conclude with a closing dinner aboard the Paquebot (shown at right), which will sail up and down the River Seine. Views include the medieval Cathedral of Notre Dame, La Conciergerie, the 17th century Palais du Louvre, and French Academy. Historical Paris is never more beautiful than in the autumn moonlight. Aboard the Paquebot, enjoy teak decking, high smokestacks, brass and varnished wood, a grand staircase, and thick carpeting. The atmosphere on board is most certainly that of an early 20th century transatlantic liner.

The conference operating committee, comprised of the Eisenhower Fellows of Europe, is also exploring options for further sightseeing and tourist activities. To read about the pre-conference visit to the ITER Project in Cadarache on September 29, click here. Visit the conference website for more information and to register.

Item Posted: April 30, 2009

Philadelphia Fellow Named in TIME 100

Sister Mary Scullion, '02, USA, has been named by TIME Magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in its third annual list of the TIME 100. Sister Mary, co-founder and executive director of Project H.O.M.E., was cited for her leadership in helping reduce homelessness in Philadelphia. She was nominated for this honor by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the New York Times bestseller Eat, Pray, Love. Nominees are put forward by TIME correspondents, then decided by a panel of editors.

To read more about Sister Mary, Project H.O.M.E., and this honor, click here.

Item Posted: April 27, 2009

Fellow Starts Consultancy Firm as Result of Fellowship

Diego Valenzuela, '08, Argentina, recently founded Analytica, a consultancy firm devoted to economics and public policies. According to Diego, "...I was thinking about my professional future when in the U.S., and the fellowship pushed me to accelerate in different ways. In my final report, I wrote that I was planning to create a consultancy firm in Argentina...Well, now I would like to share with you that Analytica has begun."

He continues, "Besides that, the fellowship inspired some ideas that I am now implementing in Argentina: the studies about the Millennial Generation and the people I met about this topic (at Harvard, for example) helped me to start doing some surveys about the generation in Argentina. For example, I am working with La Plata's Mayor in polls about the youth in the city. I am also planning to do an annual survey about the Generation Y with Universidad Di Tella."

Item Posted: April 27, 2009

Fellows Featured in Various Publications

Sanitsuda Ekachai, '95, Thailand, wrote an opinion piece in the Bangkok Post here.

Sister Mary Scullion, '02, USA, and her recent testimony on Capitol Hill regarding housing is featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

Jane Golden, '03, USA, is featured on the WHYY series "This I Believe," a weekly series of radio essays by some of Philadelphia's most influential leaders in politics, the arts, business, civic involvement. You can listen to the podcast here.

Rachel Storch, '08, USA, speaks about the influence her fellowship had on her career here.

Mbali Dhlomo, '09, South Africa, was profiled for being named an Eisenhower Fellow here. She is currently traveling the USA as part of the 2009 Multi Nation Program.

Elena Panfilova, '09, Russia, is mentioned for her recent presentation to and dialogue with Russia President Dmitry Medvedev here. She is also traveling the United States as part of the 2009 Multi Nation Program.

Steve Welch, '09, USA, is featured in a Philadelphia Business Journal article here. He is currently traveling on fellowship in China, Singapore, and China (Taiwan).

Item Posted: April 24, 2009

Bangladesh Fellow Receives Goldman Prize

Rizwana Hasan, '07, Bangladesh, is the recipient of a Goldman Prize, which is given for excellence in protecting the environment to the "world's most amazing grassroots environmental leaders." Hasan is director of programs for the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, and focused on environmental policy formulation and implementation, environmental justice administration, and mechanisms used by minority and civil society organizations to enforce environmental laws during her fellowship.

The Goldman Environmental Prize, now in its 20th year, is awarded annually to grassroots environmental heroes from each of the world’s six inhabited continental regions and is the largest award of its kind. Rizwana and other award recipients from around the world were honored at the awards ceremony April 20 in San Francisco. To read more about Rizwana's work and the award, click here. To view photos from the awards ceremony, click here.

Item Posted: April 23, 2009

China Fellow Appointed Vice Minister of Education

Dr. HAO Ping, '99, China, was appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, the People’s Republic of China. He is a member of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and currently serves as president of the Beijing Foreign Studies University. He is also a professor in the history department of Beijing University. Dr. Hao is the author of three books: "An Unfortunate Ending: John Leighton Stuart and China," 2002; "Sun Yat-Sen's Revolution and the United States," 2000; and "Historical Facts of the Founding of Peking University," 1998.

Item Posted: April 23, 2009

Hungary Fellow in Tokyo as Guest Professor

Csaba Mako, '87, Hungary, will be at Tokyo at Hitotsubashi University as a guest professor through June 2009. He is a professor at the Institute of Sociology at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and recently released a new book, titled Working It Out? The Labour Process and Employment Relations in the Knowledge Economy.

Item Posted: April 20, 2009

Chairman Powell Discusses EF; U.S.-China Relations with China State Councilor

EF Chairman Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) met on April 17 in Washington with State Councilor Mme. Liu Yandong, one of the highest ranking leaders in the Chinese government and the only woman in the Politburo and the State Council. Mme. Liu’s delegation included the Minister of Education, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, China’s ambassador to the U.S., and other senior officials.

Accompanied by EF President John Wolf, General Powell emphasized the importance of Eisenhower Fellowships in U.S-China relations. Mme. Liu agreed, and expressed her support for expanding the program based on mutual benefits and shared responsibilities. Quoting Roosevelt, she added, "We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future."
 
The EF China program was launched in 1997 by President George H.W. Bush, then Chairman of EF, and President Jiang Zemin. Since that time, 62 Eisenhower Fellows from China have traveled to the U.S. and 8 USA fellows have traveled to China.

During her visit to the United States, Mme. Liu also met with former EF chairman Dr. Henry Kissinger, the U.S Secretaries of State, Agriculture, Education and Energy, as well as several agency heads. For more information on Mme Liu Yandong's meeting with Chairman Colin Powell, click here.

Item Posted: April 16, 2009

Fellow Named Director, Islamic Research and Training Institute

Bambang Brodjonegoro, '02, Indonesia, was named Director of the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His previous position was the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Indonesia.

Item Posted: April 15, 2009

Fellow Receives Slovakia National Literary Award

Mikulas Huba, '97, Slovakia, received The Dominik Tatarka Honorary Award on March 13, 2009. This prize is considered to be the most prestigious Slovak award for literature and it is given to the authors who write exceptional literary works following the humanistic traditions of Slovak culture. The prize is an intellectual legacy of Dominik Tatarka, who was an important Slovak dissident of the 20th century.

Huba received the award for his publication Ideal-Reality-Myth (Ideál-Skutočnosť-Mýtus), which documents the story of a group of people from Bratislava who devoted their lives to protecting the environment from 1975 to 1989.

Item Posted: April 14, 2009

Czech Fellow Organizes Women's Conference in New York

Olga Girstlova, '07, Czech Republic, president of the Moravian Association of Women Entrepreneurs and a board member of the Women's Forum, is organizing an international women's conference under the topic of Women - A Creative Personality of the Third Millennium. The conference, which will take place May 22 and 23 in the Bohemian National Hall in New York City, will focus on global aspects of women's entrepreneurship, including in the NGO sector. The New York conference is the sixth in a series of international conferences, which were held in the Czech Republic and Slovakia from 2000 – 2004, specifically in Prague (2000-2002), Bratislava (2003) and Brno (2004). This year, after a five-year break, the three organizers – the Moravian Association of Women Entrepreneurs, the Women’s Forum, and “Top Centrum Podnikateliek," the Slovak association of businesswomen – decided to continue with this tradition and transfer the conference from Europe to the United States.

Invited speakers include Fellows Olga Girstlova; Della Clark, '02, USA, president, The Enterprise Center; and Jackie Saettone, '08, Peru, managing director, Stromboli srl. To read more about the conference, click here.

Item Posted: April 7, 2009

2009 Multi Nation Program Fellows Arrive in Philadelphia

The 2009 Multi Nation Program (MNP) Fellows have arrived in Philadelphia for their orientation and Opening Seminar. Twenty-two Fellows from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Chile, China (Taiwan), Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mongolia, Northern Ireland, Palestine, Philippines, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, and Thailand were welcomed at the traditional Trustee Dinner on April 6. In addition to Fellows, Trustees, staff, and guests, the USA Fellows from Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Steering Committee were also on hand to welcome the new Fellows.

In his dinner remarks, EF President John Wolf challenged the Fellows to “leverage their passion,” build focused, collaborative partnerships with similarly motivated Fellows in their countries and across the network, and to assist EF in identifying sources of financial support for the organization. He encouraged the MNP Fellows to have strategic goals clearly in mind as they undertake their travels in the United States, and to work toward tangible outcomes that they can implement when they return from their fellowships. Click here to read the full text of John Wolf’s remarks.

As part of their Opening Seminar activities, Fellows have gone on group visits to Philadelphia organizations such as Pew Charitable Trust, the Philadelphia Inquirer, St. Peter's School, and the Enterprise Center. Fellows will spend the rest of the week participating in orientation exercises with the 2009 USA Fellows before departing for their individual travels on Saturday, April 11.

Item Posted: April 6, 2009

Fellow Receives Panasonic Award for Fifth Consecutive Year

Tantowi Yahya, '05, Indonesia, has received his fifth consecutive Panasonic Award for The Favorite Host of Quiz and Games Show category. The Panasonic Award is a prestigious annual award for excellence in television in Indonesia. The recipients are voted by viewers through polling, and this years's polling was participated in by nearly 300.000 viewers. The awards were presented to the recipients in a gala show attended by Vice President of Indonesia, H.E. Jusuf Kalla, and watched by over 150 million people at home.

Yahya reports, "It's my performance in 'Deal or No Deal' that made me win again this year. The program has ceased December last year after two years on the air. Currently, I am hosting new game show, 'Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader.' It's my third international show after 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' and 'Deal Or No Deal.'"

Join the Eisenhower Fellowships Social Networking Groups

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Click here to read Fellow News from March 2009.