The 19th batch of Tibetan Fulbright students will arrive in New York on August 11th, 2004 as part of The Tibet Fund’s Tibetan Scholarship Program (TSP).
The current group of 15 TSP students, 9 male and 6 female, will attend a 3-day orientation in New York City designed to introduce them to American culture and prepare them for life on campus in American universities. After their orientation the students will travel to their respective schools to begin their academic work.
Of the 15 new TSP students 10 will be enrolled in 2-year masters degree programs in areas including public administration, special education, international relations, development studies, hospitality management, molecular biology, counseling, public health, media studies and educational leadership. The remaining 5 will be enrolled in non-degree programs in computer science, child psychology, community counseling and business administration. Three students will attend the University of Northern Iowa and two students will attend each of these universities: University of Massachusetts, University at Buffalo, Florida International University, and Rockland Community College. Others will attend, Brandeis University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Vermont, and St. Francis College.
Incoming TSP students previously worked in such Tibetan organizations/agencies as at the Tibetan Children’s Village, the Department of Information and International Relations, the Planning Council, The Kashag, Mungod Tibetan Settlement and Delek Hospital.
The TSP was started in 1988 with funding from the Fulbright Program of the US State Department. Since that time The Tibet Fund has brought 282 Tibetan refugee professional and students to the US to receive higher education. TSP students have studied in some of America’s most prestigious educational institutions including Harvard, UC Berkeley, Brandeis, Cornell, Columbia, Emory and Yale. Over 70 percent of TSP students have completed Master’s degree programs in such diverse range areas as public administration, education, counseling, teaching, computer science, molecular biology, public health and hospitality management. Close to 92% of TSP students return home after graduation to work in responsible positions and take on leadership roles within the Tibetan refugee communities in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and in the Offices of Tibet abroad.
Every year The Tibet Fund brings 15 new students to study in the US. Of these, 10 students usually enroll in 2-year masters programs and five participate in 1-year certificate programs. The Tibet Fund works closely with the Department of Education and the High Level Scholarship Committee in India to ensure an open, merit-based selection process for TSP students.
At present The Tibet Fund is assisting10 masters level students who will finish their studies in May 2005. With the arrival of the current group of 15 new students The Tibet Fund will be assisting a total of 25 TSP students this year.
For more information on the TSP please contact Tenzing Choephel, Program Coordinator, The Tibet Fund Tibetan Scholarship Program, at 212-213-5011 or email at: tchoephel@tibetfund.org
