Archive for April 2009 – Page 2

The Darfur Debate

The Institute for African Studies (IAS) presents, “The Darfur Debate” with Professor Mahmood Mamdani and John Prendergast of the Enough Project.

A human rights activist and an Africa scholar will debate issues not limited to: Is the violence in Darfur really genocide? Have advocacy movements like the Save Darfur Coalition helped or hindered the search for a political solution in Sudan’s troubled western province? Is the ICC jeopardizing the peace process or does it have an immediate mandate to seek justice?

Mahmood Mamdani is the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government and a member of the departments of anthropology; political science; and Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures (MEALAC) at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.

His previous books include Good Muslim, Bad Muslim; Citizen and Subject; and When Victims Become Killers.

Prendergast is a co-chair with the Enough Project and serves on the board of the Save Darfur Coalition. He served as an adviser to the White House and the State Department during the Clinton administration and later as a senior adviser to the nonpartisan International Crisis Group.

He co-authored the book Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, with actor Don Cheadle, and has written seven other books on Africa.

Sponsored by The Institute of African Studies, the SIPA Pan-African Network, Humanitarian Affairs Working Group, Graduate Committee on African Studies, Center for African Education, Conflict Resolution Working Group, UN Studies Program Working Group, Arab Student Association, the Center for International Conflict Resolution and Brooklyn For Peace.  Full information on the event here and here.

$2 Million to Help Fund The Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR): The Fund for Global Environment and Conflict Resolution Masters Fellowship Program, 2009-2010

If you have had the opportunity to attend an information session at SIPA that I have led you might remember that I take a minute or two to talk about applying for outside awards and scholarships.  Part of my speech is to always be prepared.  In the instance below, if you are qualified admitted applicant, you could earn $22,500 toward your costs at SIPA.

I talk specifically about two things.  One is that once you start applying for outside scholarships you might recognize that the essay questions might not sound all that different.  Thus if you apply for one or two scholarships and write an essay, you just may very well be able to use the essay again or modify it slightly for submission for another opportunity you discover.

Second is advice that I credit to my high school guidance counselor, Ms. Steele.  Ms. Steele encouraged me to continue to look for scholarships as long as I was a student (the process never stops), and to be prepared, to ask those composing a letter of recommendation for me to print multiple copies, seal them each in an individual envelop, and give them to me so that each time I found out about a new opportunity I would be prepared.  So if I found about ten different scholarship opportunities and I had ten envelops each containing a letter of recommendation, I did not need to bother my recommendation writer ten different times.

You never know when you might find out about an opportunity that fits you, and it helps greatly to be prepared.  It just so happens that I found out about a great opportunity for admitted SIPA applicants, and the deadline is next Wednesday.  Yes, not a lot of time.  Thus being prepared for opportunities like this turns out to be pretty good advice.

The details, application, and program guidelines are below.  Good luck!

The Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR) at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea of the Italian Government are pleased to announce the establishment of the Fund for Environment and Conflict Resolution (The Fund).

Over a period three years, the $2 Million Fund will provide support for research, teaching and fellowships. Thanks to The Fund, CICR will promote research conducted by prominent scholars at Columbia University, in Italy and other countries around the issue of the global environment and conflict resolution.

The Fund has three major focus areas. First, it will look at the relationships between sustainable development and post-conflict in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peru and Colombia where the Italian Ministry has on-going activities. Second, the research will focus on the prevention of potential conflicts in the use of natural resources, paying particular attention to China, the Middle East and North Africa. Third, the research will focus on the relationship between climate change and international security. The Fund will also give the opportunity for fellowships and scholarships, for scholars and students interested in these areas.

The student must be from one of the following countries/regions in order to be considered for this fellowship: Italy, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peru, Colombia, China, the Middle East, and/or North Africa.

For more information on teaching, research and fellowships related to this grant please contact CICR’s Assistant Director, Josie Lianna Kaye, [email protected].

CICR Italian Overview

CICR Application

Inspiration to Action

There is an expression you might have heard, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.”  Well for me, it was the reverse – March certainly went out like a lion for me.  I was spread in a couple of different directions and found it hard to keep up over the last few weeks.  I am not complaining though, far from it, I would not trade my experience for anything.

SIPA applicants are a truly exceptional group of people.  I must admit that sometimes I find myself in awe as I read resume’s and personal statements.  It is inspiring to see the commitment level our applicants display.  Each year when I review applications I find myself energized about the next generation of leaders who will formulate policies that will impact domestic and international relations.

The inspiration from reading applications, mixed with some old fashioned networking, led my wife and I on a recent trip to New Orleans to help rebuild the home of a Police Officer who lost her home in Hurricane Katrina.  A friend of a friend just happens to be the CNN Hero of the Year for 2008Liz McCartney went to New Orleans after Katrina to help out and what she saw inspired her to move there and start the St. Bernard Project.  The organization is dedicated to helping those in St. Bernard Parish who lost their homes rebuild.

One of the main reasons I felt inspired to post this entry is that the St. Bernard Project is expanding and has paid internship positions.  Many applicants will ask me what kind of work they can do to help improve their application to SIPA.  There is no one right answer, but if you are interested in public policy this certainly would be a great opportunity.  You can find more information about positions on the St. Bernard Web site.

Below in the center, holding the piece of dry wall signed by everyone, is the owner of the home.  We ended up working with a group of undergraduate students from Ohio State who spent their spring break volunteering.  Also involved were a father and daughter from Washington, D.C.

Concentration Choice at SIPA

One of the questions that has been popping up in our email in box has to do with the choice of concentration at SIPA.  You can think of your concentration as your major field of study.  Many applicants are worried that they must stick with the concentration selected when the admission application was filled out.  This is not the case.

We do look for focus in an admission application and the concentration choice often will influence how a file is read.  For example, if someone selects International Finance and Economic Policy on the admission application we do look for evidence of some pretty serious quantitative study and/or work experience due to the fact that this concentration is quantitatively heavy.

However, we also realize that when admitted applicants enroll and speak with faculty, take some classes, interact with second year students, and attend events, one’s career or academic focus might shift and we want to be flexible and allow students to choose the pathway that is best for their professional goals.  Often this insight only comes after actually enrolling and spending time at SIPA.

Thus it is perfectly acceptable to change your concentration when you register for classes in the fall.  There is no formal process, you simply must choose a concentration when you register.  There is also no firm time line to finalize your choice, however the longer you wait, the more precarious completing the requirements becomes.

The counseling students receive will thus encourage you to be firm with your concentration choice sometime during your first year, and the sooner the better so that you may shape your class schedule and internships.  All of our program requirements must be completed in four semesters and deciding early will help alleviate pressure over time by narrowing your class choices.

So there is no need to worry about sticking to the concentration selected on the admission application.  At Orienation new students will have the opportunity to hear faculty speak about the different options and the concentration choice will be made when you register.  If you need to change again when you register for the second semester you may, but again the more focused and certain you are, the more you will be able to gain from the program.

"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

Boiler Image