60 grantees traveling to US this year on fully funded scholarships to Community Colleges

150 undergraduates traveling to US this year on scholarship: Orientations to be Held on May 21 & 22

Exciting summer course on Pakistan launched at Georgetown University (USA) - Two Seats Left! 
 

"The very welcoming nature of Americans and their willingness to listen to your perspective is a very remarkable trait," Bilal Malik

60 grantees are traveling to US this year on fully funded scholarships; Re-entry and Pre-departure Orientation Workshops held on May 13 & 14

Almost 60 grantees from all over the Pakistan will be departing for a year of education at various Community Colleges in the US. They are the recipients of grants awarded by United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP), which held a Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) for them at Margalla Hotel on 14th May 2010.

Dr. Carol Stax Brown, National Director, CCI & Ms. Rita Akhtar Acting ED, USEFP during re-entry workshop

Dr. Coral Stax addressing students at the dinner - May 13, 2010

The grantees were briefed about academic and social life in the US. The grantees will be placed in various community colleges of US for non-degree certificate programs. Community colleges operate under a policy of “Open Admission” i.e. anyone with a high school diploma may attend regardless of prior academic status or college entrance exam scores. However, students have to take assessment tests before enrolling. The Community College Initiative Program (CCI) enables professionals to learn the best practices in their field globally. The CCI scholarship is announced once a year and is fully funded including travel, boarding, lodging, stipend, health insurance and the tuition fee for the entire period of study. The program has been run successfully for last two years and it has trained almost 43 professionals so far. The returning professionals are now contributing in various sectors/industries of Pakistan.

Last year alumni of Community Colleges  sharing their experiences about studying in US

The program is administered by USEFP in Pakistan and is funded by Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State. Community Colleges for International Development (CCI), Northwest Consortium and Northern Virginia Community College administer the program in the U.S. This year grantees will be trained in the areas of Agriculture, Applied Engineering, Business Management and Administration, Media and Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Community College  grantees posing for a group-photo on PDO - May 14, 2010

USEFP held a Re-entry workshop for Community College Program alumni on  May 13, 2010, followed by a formal dinner. The purpose was to help the returning professionals re-adjust in the country and  to gather their feedback/input to further strengthen this program. This year grantees were  invited to the dinner to interact with alumni and to take benefit of their experiences. The workshop was also followed by the PDO on 14th May 2010.

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Almost 160 undergraduate students from all over the Pakistan will be departing for studies at various Colleges & Universities of US on scholarships. These scholarships are fully funded including travel, boarding, lodging, stipend, health insurance and the tuition fee for the entire period of study. A Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) was arranged by USEFP for them at Margalla Hotel on May 22, 2010.

Musical evening and dinner for Undergraduate grantees at USEFP - May 21, 2010

The grantees were briefed about the program, visa regulations, American culture, US higher education and campus life. Dr. Robert H. Nichols, Assistant Professor, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, who is the US scholar visiting under Fulbright Scholarship program, briefed grantees about studying in USA and adjusting as a new student. The workshop was pre-ceded by a networking dinner last night where the students were registered and their queries are handled by the staff. The grantees will be placed in various colleges and universities across various states of USA. Students with one semester or year-long duration courses will also be able to claim their credits from American Institutes, if they want to continue their education in US in future.

(Left to Right) Mr. Larry Schwartz, Minister Counselor for Public Affairs, US Embassy, Ms. Rita Akhter, Acting Executive Director, USEFP and Dr. Nichols, AP, Richard Stockton College addressing the grantees

Undergraduate students pose for a group-photo at PDO, May 22, 2010

The grantees are funded under 5 various programs, out of which 3 are administered by USEFP and 2 are managed directly by the US Embassy. Programs managed directly by USEFP include 111 students under Global UGRAD Program 2010 for 1 semester; 29 students under Pak-US student Leadership Program for study of the US Institute for Pakistani Student Leaders on Comparative Public Policy at University of Massachusetts Amherst for 6 weeks; and 6 students under the NESA (Near East South Asia) Student Exchange Program for 1 year. Programs directly administered by US Embassy include 7 students under SUSI (Study of United States Institute) - Women Leaders Program proceeding to Greenriver Community College for 4 weeks and 7 students under Benjamin Franklin Summer Institute with South and Central Asia Program proceeding to George Mason University for 4 weeks.
 workshop.

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Under its Fulbright Senior Specialist Program, USEFP was able to host Dr. Frances E. Anderson, ATR-BC, HLM. She received her doctorate degrees from Indiana University. Dr. Anderson is a Board Certified, Registered Art Therapist. Recognized for her seminal efforts to use art with physically and mentally handicapped children, she is an Honorary Life Member (HLM) of the American Art Therapy Association. A distinguished Professor of Art, Emeritae at Illinois State University, she is currently Affiliate Faculty, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina. She has written numerous articles and 2 seminal books on art with disabled children. Dr. Anderson has given over 150 presentations at conferences and universities in the USA and overseas.

During her two weeks in Pakistan, she traveled to Karakoram International University (KIU) where she held two workshops. She also had a dinner with the Dr. Shama Khalid, Governor Gilgit Baltistan along with senior faculty members of KIU. She visited Naltar Valley, Karga Nullah and the disaster struck areas of Hunza.

In Islamabad, a workshop was organized by USEFP to present information on art as healing for children traumatized by natural disasters, on Tuesday, May 11, 2010. The purpose was to develop ways in which this information can be adapted for use with children in Pakistan. The workshop was attended by various leading NGO’s of Pakistan working in this area. It detailed how traumatized children can be treated through Art. This workshop included suggestions on how to help children cope with various traumas, they have suffered using artistic materials. Art, according to Dr. Adnerson, is the first language of trauma. It is through visual expression that children can develop a sense of control,  and can find words to describe what happened and find out that they are not the only ones suffering. The presentation demonstrated how to adapt art materials to enable children with physical, mental and emotional problems to express themselves in a safe and secure environment.

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In 2010 USEFP took a strategic approach to outreach for its Fulbright Program. The Masters and PhD Program competition for 2011 was announced at the beginning of February in English language newspapers and periodicals all over the country. In an effort to ensure that more applications would be received in priority fields and from non-elite candidates, USEFP reviewed its previous outreach efforts to see if they could be targeted more strategically and effectively. After analyzing applications received for previous Fulbright competitions in priority fields and extensive discussion, USEFP’s Programs and Advising Departments decided to target the following:

1. Public universities from which fewer than ten applications had been received in the previous year.
2. Universities in rural/remote areas
3. Women’s universities
4. Departments of priority disciplines: Social Sciences, Public Health, Education, Agriculture

In a two-month blitz following the announcement, advisers and program staff travelled all over Pakistan to inform potential applicants about the Fulbright Program Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Paktunkhwa, and Gilgit Baltistan. Outreach to Azad Jammu & Kashmirwas conducted via DVC. To reach areas where USEFP staff could not travel due to security or other reasons, Fulbright Alumni affiliated with universities or government ministries were invited to USEFP for a day of training in the Fulbright application process. They were also provided with Power-Point presentations, handouts, Fulbright flyers and applications to take back to their universities. The participating alumni came from:

• University of Peshawar
• Mubarak Institute of Literacy and Training
• Bahauddin Zakriya University
• Forman Christian College, Lahore
• University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore
• Fizaia Degree College, Rawalpindi
• COMSATS, Wah Cantonment
• Centre of Physics Education, Karachi
• Ministry of Health, Government of Sindh

USEFP advisers and program staff visited the following departments and universities:

Sindh
University of Sindh, Jamshoro (Social Sciences and Natural Sciences)
University of Agriculture, Tandojam
Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro
Faculty of Education, Jamshoro (Departments of Education)
Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur (Social Sciences and Natural Sciences)
Karachi University, Karachi (Social Sciences and Natural Sciences)
Hamdard University, Karachi (Social Sciences)
Textile Institute of Pakistan, Karachi (Textile Department)
Aga Khan University, Karachi (Public Health)
Jinnah Women University, Karachi (Social Sciences)
 

Fulbright Outreach to students at University of Agriculture, Tandojam, Sindh

Punjab
University of Sargodha, Sargodha (Public Health and Social Sciences)
University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad (Public Health)
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Agriculture Departments)
University of Gujrat, Gujrat (Department of Fine Arts/Engineering)
University of Gujranwala, Gujranwala (Social Sciences and Natural Sciences)
Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur (Social Sciences)
Bahauddin Zakriya University, Multan (Social Sciences)
University of Health Sciences, Lahore (Public Health)
University of Punjab, Lahore (Social Sciences)
Lahore College for Women, Lahore (Social Sciences)
Beacon House National University, Lahore (Fine Arts)
University of Education, Lahore (Department of Education)

Khyber Paktunkhwa
University of Peshawar, Peshawar (Social Sciences)
Gandhara University Social Sciences)
Women’s College University (Social Sciences and Natural Sciences)

Islamabad/Rawalpindi
Quaid-e-Azam University (Social Sciences)
Helen Keller Institute (Social Sciences)
NUST (Engineering)
Fatima Jinnah University (Social Sciences and Natural Sciences)
Foundation University, Islamabad (Social Sciences)
COMSATS (MBA/Computer Science/Social Sciences)
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) (Economics)
National Council of Arts (NCA), Rawalpindi (Fine Arts)

Gilgit Baltistan
Karakorum University (Social Sciences and Natural Sciences)

Azad Jammu & Kashmir
Digital Video Conference
 

 

Memorandum of Understanding signed with Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) and the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro was signed in May. The purpose of the MOU is to establish a Fulbright Outreach Center for providing information to students about opportunities for higher education in the United States. The center will serve 40,000 students attending four universities in the area. The center should be functional by fall 2010 and we hope many students will make use of it.   Zulfiqar Ali  Butto, Program Officer USEFP during Fulbright Outreach at Mehran University of Engineering & Technology (MUET) Sindh

This year, the advising department is proud to list a few of our notable advisees, whose hard work and frequent visits to the Advising Center have paid off with acceptances and attractive financial aid packages. For a complete list of admitted students and additional information please contact the advising office:
Email: advising@usefpakistan.org 
Phone: +92 51 8431 300

School counselors trained about US education system and allied opportunities

In the fall of 2009, a School Counselor Training Initiative was started by the USEFP Islamabad Office. For the pilot program, counselors from all local branches of the extensive Beaconhouse School System were hosted at USEFP. The intensive two-day workshop guided school counselors through all steps of the U.S. application and admissions process to enable them to, in turn, to work more effectively with their students. Counselors attended interactive classes on how to write effective admission essays and letters of recommendation, as well as numerous seminars discussing topics such as the Common Application, Student Visa procedure, and the challenges of cultural change for students. Each session was followed by detailed discussions, addressing counselor concerns and brainstorming sessions on the issues of each counselor’s existing U.S. applicant students.
 

Due to the popularity of the first training session, this program was also rolled out to the Lahore and Karachi regional offices in the first quarter of 2010. In subsequent sessions hosted at the Islamabad Office, counselors  from all three branches of the Roots School System (DHA, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi)  from Froebel's participated in this workshop. USEFP plans to continue this successful program and reach out to more schools. Beaconhouse has already requested a refresher course of the training for its existing staff to be conducted in June 2010.

A total of 100 school counselors have been trained through this program to date, across all USEFP offices!

USEFP testing center wins Platinum Excellence Award third time

In 2009, for the third year in a row, USEFP Testing Centers have been presented with the Excellence Award for Outstanding Performance in Quality Testing. Prometric is the recognized global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services. They have developed a Partner Awards Program to recognize the support and contribution of the top 20% of test centre partners across Asia Pacific & Africa. These are based on a set of criteria around capacity as well as their commitment to expand the testing market, provision of positive candidate experiences and adherence to security standards. Platinum Partners represent the top 3%, Gold represent the next 7% and Silver make up the remaining 10%. It is an honor and a heartening experience for USEFP to be in the top 3% Prometric Test centers and be a Platinum partner across Asia Pacific and Africa.

 

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DSST and ACT launched by USEFP testing centers nationwide

To promote higher Education in the United States, USEFP introduces new programs DSST and ACT at all three centers.

The DSST program provides students the opportunity to earn college credit based on what they have learned in or out of the traditional classroom. It is an Internet based standardized test; 37 college level examinations are offered in the subject areas including social sciences, physical sciences, humanities, business, mathematics and applied technology. For more details please visit www.usefpakistan.org/DSST.html 

ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and used for college admissions in the United States. It is considered as an acceptable alternative to Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-I) at many colleges and universities in U.S. ACT results are accepted by all 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S. For more details please visit www.usefpakistan.org/ACT.html
 

Exciting summer course on Pakistan launched at Georgetown University (USA)-  Two Seats Left! 

Via Indus Valley Civilization, Pakistan’s history can be traced back at least 5,000 years. The land has been a crossroads for warriors, traders, missionaries, and migrant populations up to modern times. Its people are renowned for dealing with innumerable invading armies with courage, tact, charm, and wisdom. Despite being assaulted by invasions, the land also has served as an important center for peaceful faith traditions—Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam—in different phases of its history.

Today, the crossfire of global conflict pulls Pakistan in different directions and takes a great toll on the nation’s internal stability, national identity, and external image. The construction and circulation of stereotypes in the global media has contributed further to Pakistani peoples’ problems. Is Pakistan a nation brimming with untapped talent or merciless jihadis, cool-minded strategists or impulsive and irrational crowds? Should we characterize Pakistanis with all, some, or none of these images?

This course rises above stereotypes by partnering with leading scholars, advocates, and NGOs to host by videoconferencing with Islamabad guests who represent Pakistan’s vibrant civil society. We interact with courageous individuals who provide services and leadership identified across faith traditions with causes of justice and peace. The work begins with meeting human needs—water, sanitation, education, and health care—and advocating for the rule of law, sustainable development, and human rights.

After a week-long orientation with training in research and interviewing, the Georgetown participants will hear guests’ own narratives of inspiration, uncertainty, hope, perseverance, loss, and optimism. They also will design and conduct semi-structured interviews videoconferenced with guests in near-real time. Then, reflecting on these interactions, the Georgetown participants will produce final projects that best profile guests’ involvement
in the struggle for justice and peace in a society very different from their own.

Participants are invited to publish their final projects in Pakistaniaat, a refereed, open-access journal on Pakistani history, culture, literature, and politics, which is supported by the American Institute of Pakistan Studies. The course is now cross-listed by Anthropology and Government at Georgetown as well.

Justice and Peace in Pakistan is unique in linking U.S.-based students with civic leaders in Pakistan, and the team is applying for support to develop it for audiences both in the USA and Pakistan. We also will present at a special event at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in New Orleans. Videoconferencing facilities are provided by Georgetown and the U.S. Educational Foundation in Pakistan.


For more info visit our story at: www.justpak.com

USEFP is pleased to announce the registration facility for Microsoft exams (070 Series only) at our testing centers. The following are the requirements for this offer:

• Original and Valid Passport is mandatory for Microsoft registration at the center, without a passport registration cannot be done
• Fee for each exam is Rs. 4,350/-. Payment will be accepted only in the form of a Bank Draft in favor of ‘The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan’
   

Microsoft Second Shot provides a FREE retake exam if you fail your first attempt at any IT Professional, Developer, or Microsoft Dynamics certification exam. You must register for Second Shot and pay for your exam in order to receive the Second Shot offer (all 070 and 083 series exams are included). You must register, schedule and take both the first (and if necessary) second retake exam by June 30, 2010. For more details please visit: http://www.usefpakistan.org/Microsoft.html
 

The Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) for Fulbright Masters, PhD and FLTA (Foreign Language Teaching Assistant) grantees is planned for end of June 2010 -  detail forthcoming.