THE FULBRIGHT HONG KONG
SCHOLAR PROGRAM (FHKSP)
The Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong and the Fulbright Program of the
United States announce they have jointly established a new research fellowship program
for Hong Kong scholars in the social sciences, arts and humanities. Up to four
fellowships will be offered each year, beginning in the fall 2002. Selected scholars will
spend between four to ten months affiliated with major American universities and
research institutes working on their research projects and giving occasional lectures.
The Hong Kong-America Center (HKAC) will administer the Fulbright Hong Kong
Scholar Program (FHKSP) on behalf of the RGC and the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong.
The HKAC is a consortium of Hong Kong universities to promote educational exchanges
with the United States. The Council of International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), a
Fulbright agency based in Washington DC, will also assist in implementing the FHKSP.
The basic grant for a ten-month award will be HK$ 350,000. A supplementary portion of
up to HK$ 150,000 is available for research expenses in justified cases.
The academic fields eligible for this fellowship program are: anthropology, architecture/
urban planning, area studies, art, art history, business, cinema studies, communication,
cultural studies, creative writing, economics, education, gender studies, geography,
history, law, linguistics, literature, music, philosophy, political science, psychology,
public administration, religious studies, sociology, social work, and theatre/dance.
The deadline for applications for the fourth round of the FHKSP competition is noon on
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15th, 2004. All application materials, including
recommendations, should be submitted to the office of the Hong Kong-America Center.
A copy of the proposal should also be submitted by November 15th to the applicant’s
institution.
A review panel of senior Hong Kong scholars will evaluate the academic merit of the
applications. Major consideration will be given to the proposed research projects. The
Hong Kong Fulbright Advisory Committee (FAC) will conduct interviews with the
finalists in early December. The fourth cohort of Hong Kong Fulbright Scholars can
begin their fellowships in the U.S. beginning in fall, 2005. Start dates of the awards are
flexible.
Applications are available from the Hong Kong-America Center and on its website:
(www.cuhk.edu.hk/hkac). Enquiries are also welcome c/o Dr. Glenn Shive, Director of
the HKAC, at tel: 2609-8749, fax: 2603-5797 and email: glennshive@cuhk.edu.hk.
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Fulbright Hong Kong Scholar Program
General Guidelines for Applicants
THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAM AND THE WAY IT WORKS .......................................................................... 3
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Overview of the Fulbright Scholar Program ......................................................................................... 3
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE FULBRIGHT HONG KONG SCHOLAR PROGRAM ............................... 4
STRATEGIES FOR A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION ......................................................................................... 5
Application Guidelines ........................................................................................................................... 5
Preparing the Project Statement ............................................................................................................. 6
DOs and DON’Ts for Prospective Applicants ....................................................................................... 6
ARRANGEMENTS FOR AFFILIATION WITH A U.S. HOST INSTITUTION ................................................... 8
ADMINISTRATION AND FUNDING OF THE FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR PROGRAM ......................................... 9
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THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAM AND THE WAY IT WORKS
Introduction
Purpose of These Guidelines.
The purpose of these guidelines is to assist potential Fulbrighters in preparing their applications
and to try to answer questions often asked about the application process. The goal is to help
applicants optimize the presentation of their work and research goals so CIES staff can arrange or
confirm the best possible affiliation.
The Roles of the Hong Kong and U.S. Governments, and their Administering Agencies.
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (www.cies.org), a division of the Institute of
International Education (www.iie.org), is a private organization established to assist in the
administration of the Fulbright Scholar Program. It cooperates with the United States Department
of State, the agency of the U.S. government with overall responsibility for the Fulbright Program.
Both CIES and the Department of State are located in Washington, DC.
The Fulbright Hong Kong Scholar Program (FHKSP), which operates within the framework of
the global Fulbright program, is jointly supported and administered by the Research Grants
Council (RGC) of the University Grants Committee (UGC) and the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong
(USC). The Fulbright Advisory Committee (FAC), a six-person board of Hong Kong and
American senior scholars and prominent citizens, provides policy guidance and oversight to the
program.
The Hong Kong-America Center (HKAC), a consortium established by the universities of Hong
Kong, administers the program in Hong Kong on behalf of the RGC and the USC. The HKAC
recruits candidates and manages the grants competition. This includes a peer review by
distinguished scholars in the relevant disciplines, and a final review, including an interview of
finalists, in Hong Kong by the FAC. The applications of the FAC-approved candidates are then
submitted to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB). The FSB, a 12-member
board of educational and public leaders appointed by the President of the United States, has
statutory responsibility for the final selection of all grantees in the Fulbright Program worldwide.
Overview of the Fulbright Scholar Program Worldwide
The mission of the Fulbright Scholar Program is to increase mutual understanding between the
people of the United States and people of other countries; it aims to provide educational exchange
experiences to a maximum number of individuals not previously afforded such an opportunity.
The experience should be of intrinsic value not only to the scholar, but also to the recipient’s
home institution, its faculty and its students as well as to the U.S. host institution. Fulbright
scholars serve as cultural ambassadors and should be prepared to speak about their countries,
cultures and research to academic and community groups.
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The program has afforded the opportunity to thousands of scholars to establish professional
contacts in their field and make long-lasting friendships with colleagues in the United States;
develop collaborative research relationships with U.S. scholars; and enhance their publications
and other scholarly contributions with research conducted in the United States. Finally, for many
academic staff, the Fulbright Program offers an opportunity to pursue scholarly work without
interruption. By doing research and pursuing other scholarly interests in a completely different
environment, scholars return home professionally invigorated.
Eligibility Criteria for the Fulbright Hong Kong Scholar Program
In order to be eligible for a Fulbright Hong Kong scholar award, applicants must have the
following qualifications:
Citizenship or permanent resident status in Hong Kong. Holders of, or applicants for, an
American passport or permanent residence (“green card”) are not eligible to apply for
Fulbright awards. Fulbright grantees enter the United States on an Exchange Visitor (J-1) visa
under a Department of State program and are subject to the two-year home-country residence
requirement associated with the J-1 visa.
A doctorate or equivalent professional qualification. This may be from an American
university. Applicants should not have had recent extensive experience in the U.S. That
means more than a six-month continuous sojourn in the U.S. within the last five years.
Candidates must be full-time academic staff of UGC-funded institutions and residents of Hong
Kong at the time of application. They must have served in an academic capacity in Hong
Kong for the previous three years.
English language proficiency.
Good health. All applicants selected for a Fulbright grant are required to submit a Medical
History and Examination Report before their grants can be finalized. The Fulbright program
will provide health insurance to the visiting scholars from Hong Kong.
Awards will be made based on the academic merits of the application considered within the
context of advancing knowledge within the scholar’s discipline. The Fulbright program in Hong
Kong seeks to advance long-term scholarly and institutional relationships between Hong Kong
and the United States.
The grants are NOT for the principle purpose of attending conferences, completing doctoral
dissertations, taking courses for credit, or pursuing professional training. The award is NOT
open to students. The eligible disciplines are in the humanities, arts and social sciences.
Awards will be made for up to ten months. The minimum length of award is four months.
Grantees are encouraged make arrangements for a leave of absence directly with their home
universities. Awards may begin anytime within the academic year beginning as early as fall,
2005.
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STRATEGIES FOR A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION
Application Guidelines
Please contact the Hong Kong-America Center (www.cuhk.edu.hk/hkac) for 2005-2006
application materials. The HKAC staff will also provide general guidance upon request.
• Complete the application form carefully after reading “Instructions for Completing the
Application” of the actual application. The application consists of a four-page form; a project
statement; a detailed curriculum vitae or resume, including a list of publications; three
references; a letter of invitation, if available; and a certificate of health. All items must be
either written in or translated into English.
All applications must be submitted to the HKAC by noon on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15th,
2004.
• Make sure the reference reports are submitted promptly. Applicants must submit three
references. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that reference reports are submitted by
the deadline so that references accompany the application throughout the entire review process.
References should be from persons qualified to evaluate your professional work and proposal.
At least one of the references should be from a specialist outside your university. References
should provide evidence of a scholar’s reputation within his/her discipline and must be written
in English. The Reference Report Form in the application packet suggests qualifications that
the reference writer should address. The reference report is submitted directly to the Hong
Kong-America Center.
• Submit a detailed curriculum vitae showing your academic credentials and achievements.
Your curriculum vitae might include:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
education (universities attended, degrees held)
positions held
courses taught and other services provided to students and the home institution
publications (sorted by type and organized in reverse chronological order)
papers delivered at major conferences in your field
other professional activities, such as workshops, seminars and consultations
membership and activities in professional associations
professional honors, awards and fellowships
community service
The application asks for similar information, but provides limited space for answers. In the
curriculum vitae, the applicant should expand upon these topics to display more completely
his/her accomplishments.
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Preparing the Project Statement
The project statement is the most important aspect of preparing the Fulbright application.
Scholars with the most compelling, theoretically sound, well-written, feasible proposals are
generally recommended for awards. Sometimes those with outstanding professional achievements
assume that a brief, general project statement will be sufficient. But, in order to ensure a more
complete application, your proposed project, as well as the strategy for completing it, should be
thoroughly explained.
Factors to address in the project statement
• Clearly define your objectives. What exactly do you plan to do? What methodologies will
you employ? Indicate whether you will use interviews, library or archival research or
laboratory experiments to accomplish your project.
• Place your project in academic or professional context by referring to leading works by
others on the topic if that information is available.
• Explain the significance of the project for the field and your own professional development.
• Explain why residence in the United States is necessary for accomplishment of the project.
Comment, if applicable, on the adequacy or inadequacy of research facilities and library
resources in your own country and on the need to use specific collections in the United
States.
• Describe arrangements you have made, if any, for affiliation or collaboration. Try to secure
a letter of invitation from a U.S. host institution testifying to the merits and feasibility of the
proposal. If you have an institutional preference but no invitation, explain the reasons for
your preference in an addendum to your application. Scholars who have studied previously
in the United States should avoid seeking affiliation at their U.S. alma mater because
candidates are encouraged to expand their contacts within the U.S. academic community.
• Discuss how your project can be completed within the time period you have available.
• Describe your competence in English if you are not a native speaker. Proficiency in English
is required for both research and lecturing awards in the United States.
• Indicate how you will disseminate the results of your research both in the United States and
in Hong Kong.
DOs and DON’Ts for Fulbright Applicants
The following advice has been passed on from former grantees, review committees and CIES
staff and can assist the scholar in preparing a successful Fulbright application.
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What you SHOULD do:
DO type a clear and complete project statement that introduces you professionally to your
colleagues in the United States. The application should be free of grammatical and spelling errors.
DO make sure that your qualifications and expertise match the objectives in your project
statement. You should be able to show that you are qualified to accomplish what you are
proposing to do.
DO emphasize key points in the first paragraph of the proposal. Academic reviewers examine
many Fulbright applications, and having to search for the main points of the proposed activity is
not helpful. You should use the rest of the proposal to support your statements in the opening
paragraphs.
DO express what you can bring to the program clearly and succinctly. The best applications are
those that reflect the individual and his/her situation. You should think of the basic questions that
need to be answered: Why apply for a Fulbright award to come to the United States? If selected,
what will I do and how will I do it? What preparations have I made to complete the project? What
can I contribute to the Fulbright Program? What will the results of my participation be?
DO emphasize how your project will benefit the host institution or scholars in your field both in
Hong Kong and in the United States. Address in your project statement the ways in which you
will utilize the experience upon your return. What is the likely impact of your experience abroad?
How will you use what you learned upon your return, professionally and at your university?
DO try to make a connection between your past experience and what you are preparing to do if
you receive an award. Explain the project’s significance and its importance to the field. Focus on
what can be reasonably accomplished during the period of the grant.
DO treat the application as a unitary whole, with all parts reinforcing the project statement. The
flow should be orderly: the candidate’s capabilities are listed in the application, further
documented in the resume or curriculum vitae and confirmed in the references. Use the project
statement to make the parts interact by referring to items in the resume or research bibliography.
Without being redundant or simplistic, you should make it easier for the reviewer to find the key
pieces of information you wish to convey.
DO choose your references carefully and contact them early. The letters of recommendation need
to accompany the application. Your case may be weakened by an insufficient number of
references. Make sure the references, and all other application materials, are sent to the Hong
Kong-America Center directly.
What you SHOULD NOT do:
DO NOT exceed the page limit of the application proposal by including irrelevant or extraneous
material that may divert attention.
DO NOT use excessive jargon; keep your proposal simple and straightforward so that an
educated reader from another discipline can understand it.
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DO NOT be vague in describing your previous work or in laying out the nature of your
proposed Fulbright activity. A frequent failing in applications is that the proposal is
underdeveloped or too imprecise to give reviewers a clear sense of the endeavor.
DO NOT assume that your suitability for the endeavor is based upon past experience, your
scholarship is self-evident or the project’s requirements will be understood by reviewers.
DO NOT stress how a Fulbright grant will benefit only you or your career. Remember that the
program is intended to foster mutual understanding between cultures and nations.
DO NOT ask someone for a letter of reference unless the person is well acquainted with your
qualifications. A pro forma letter from a well-known scholar, a contact abroad or a prominent
government official will carry less weight than a realistic assessment of your abilities from
someone who knows you and your work well.
DO NOT send your application directly to CIES.
DO NOT include any documents or supporting materials that are not in English.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR YOUR AFFILIATION WITH A HOST
INSTITUTION IN THE UNITED STATES
One of the most important requirements of the Fulbright Scholar Program worldwide is a formal
affiliation at a U.S. university or research institution. Applicants in Hong Kong are encouraged to
contact their colleagues and other officials at American institutions to explore preliminary plans
for their own placements. These tentative arrangements should be reflected in the application.
However, if you are unable to make these preliminary contacts, you are encouraged to identify
two or three institutions that have appropriate facilities for the kind of research you wish to
undertake and faculty specialized in your research interests.
When determining which institutions to include on your preferred list, we recommend not
limiting yourself to only the most well-known U.S. universities. Many U.S. universities may not
have an international reputation, but they often have appropriate facilities for scholars to conduct
research. CIES staff have observed that scholars placed in these smaller and less renowned
institutions often are given greater attention than their colleagues who are affiliated with more
well-known universities. If CIES program officers find that the preferred institutions listed by the
scholar are not suitable for the work proposed, or no strong professional reasons are given for
wanting a particular institution, the program officer will request placement at another institution
after consulting with CIES staff, former U.S. Fulbright Scholars and other sources.
When the awards are made to the Hong Kong scholars (after the FAC and the FSB make their
decisions), then CIES will make the official affiliation with the U.S. institution on behalf of the
Hong Kong scholar. Informal and preliminary agreements made prior to the application will
then be made formal between the host university and the CIES on behalf of the scholar. The
Hong Kong scholar should not make their arrangements after the award is made.
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ADMINISTRATION AND FUNDING OF THE FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR
PROGRAM
The flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Government, widely
known as the Fulbright Program, is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of
the United States and the people of other countries. With this goal as a starting point, the Fulbright
Program has provided more than 255,000 participants chosen for their leadership potential—with the
opportunity to observe each others’ political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas and
embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants.
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by former Senator J.
William Fulbright of Arkansas. The worldwide Fulbright Program is administered by the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, with the assistance of its
embassies and consulates around the world.
Since the establishment of the program, 43,000 visiting scholars have conducted research or taught in
U.S. universities, and more than 41,000 U.S. scholars have engaged in similar activities abroad. The
Fulbright Program awards approximately 800 grants to visiting scholars each year. Currently, the
program operates in 140 countries worldwide.
The Fulbright program in Hong Kong has supported American lecturers and students to come to Hong
Kong universities for teaching and research. With the new contribution from the Research Grants
Council, the Fulbright program here has become truly bi-lateral, enabling scholars to move in both
directions. It is envisioned that four senior Hong Kong scholars will be selected to go to the United
States each year under this program.
The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program worldwide is an annual appropriation made
by the United States Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host
institutions around the world also contribute financially through cost-sharing and indirect support,
such as salary supplements, tuition waivers and university housing. The Congressional appropriation
for the Fulbright Program in fiscal year 2000 was $105.7 million. Other governments, including the
Hong Kong SAR, contributed an additional $28 million in total directly to the Fulbright Program.
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