Fulbright Visiting Scholar Awards in New Zealand Studies are for New Zealand academics to conduct research and teach a course in New Zealand Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Two awards – one per semester – valued at up to US$32,500 plus travel are granted each year, towards one semester of research and teaching.
Closing date: 1 July annually
These awards are available for research in any field. Visiting Scholars are required to teach an undergraduate course for Georgetown University’s Center for Australian and New Zealand Studies (CANZ) as part of their award.
The Center for Australian and New Zealand Studies is pleased to make appointments from the full range of academic disciplines in the field of New Zealand studies, including history, sociology, education, geography, literature, business or trade, international relations, international economics, public policy and management, and government.
There is one award available per semester. Applicants are welcome to apply for awards for two concurrent semesters. Semesters run from January to May (Spring) and August to December (Fall).
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must:
- have a PhD and recent teaching experience at a New Zealand tertiary educational institution;
- be able to teach an undergraduate course in New Zealand Studies (maximum of three hours class contact per week) based on your field of expertise;
- not have held another Fulbright award in the past two years, and otherwise comply with the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board’s policy on Previous Fulbright Grants; and
- meet the citizenship requirements for this award.
Citizenship requirements
You are eligible to apply for this award if you:
- are a New Zealand citizen;
- and are not a permanent resident or citizen of the US;
- and are not currently living in the US.
Preference for Fulbright awards is given to candidates who have not had extensive recent experience in the US. (ie. have not studied, taught, researched or worked in the US for a period aggregating more than nine months/one academic year during the past five years)
Entitlement
- International travel of US$3,000 for the grantee and US$2,000 for one dependent;
- Stipend of US$3,000 per month for the scholar and up to one dependent, for 3-5 months*;
- A family allowance of US$500 per month for two or more dependents;
- Basic supplemental health and accident insurance up to US$100,000;
- The opportunity to participate in various programmes and activities available to Fulbright scholars in the US, and to apply for supplementary awards where applicable.
* These entitlements are set on the basis that scholars will receive financial assistance in the form of paid leave and/or research grants during their award. Higher stipend entitlements will be provided to scholars not receiving financial assistance in the form of paid leave and/or research grants during their award. Exact entitlements will depend on individual circumstances. The maximum possible stipend is US$6,000 per month. The scholar is also entitled to the family allowance (if applicable) and travel entitlements as stated above.
Applicants who wish to teach two concurrent semesters from January to December are advised that they will be unpaid for a period of approximately 40 days during the university’s summer break, for which they should utilise independent financial resources or seek other sources of financial support.
Award conditions
- Your award must be approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in Washington, DC;
- You will be required to provide Fulbright New Zealand with evidence of financial support (or not) from your home institution before the value of your award can be confirmed;
- The period of your award is one (five months) or two concurrent semesters (10-12 months);
- You will be required to design and teach one undergraduate course for Georgetown University’s Center for Australian and New Zealand Studies in addition to conducting your own research. The courses will be offered as part of the Certificate in Australian and New Zealand Studies offered by CANZ, and will require a teaching commitment of three hours per week;
- You will be expected to fully participate in the activities of CANZ, which has an extensive outreach program of lectures, conferences and meetings each semester, including events organised with the New Zealand Embassy. And, as with all Fulbright awards, you will be expected to foster the exchange of ideas between people of the US and New Zealand and to stimulate international teaching and collaborative research efforts.
- Your award must be taken up in the calendar year (1 January-31 December) following official confirmation of the award. Note that you will be eligible to arrive and depart from the US 30 days either side of your award dates;
- You will be required to undertake a full medical examination before applying for your visa;
- You must travel on a New Zealand passport, and US immigration documentation must be completed from within New Zealand. Grantees must use the DS-2019 form provided by Fulbright New Zealand to obtain an Exchange Visitor (J) non-immigrant visa to enter the United States;
- International travel will only be funded between New Zealand and the US;
- You may be required to fulfil some Fulbright New Zealand media requirements before your departure for the US, during your exchange and/or on return to New Zealand;
- You must provide Fulbright New Zealand with copies of any articles, research papers or theses resulting from your award. A final report must also be completed before you depart from the US;
- Fulbright grantees must travel to the US on an Exchange Visitor (J) non-immigrant visa. A requirement of this visa is that you must return to your home country for a cumulative total of two years at the end of your exchange visitor programme before becoming eligible to apply to live in the US. This home-country foreign residency requirement is in keeping with the philosophy of the Fulbright exchange programme, that you return to New Zealand to share your experiences. Note that you will not be prohibited from travelling to the US for short-term visits on the visa waiver program or a non-immigrant visa.
Fulbright mission
It was Senator J William Fulbright’s mission to build peace through the mutual understanding of cultures. Fulbright applicants and grantees are expected to understand and support this mission and be effective ambassadors for New Zealand. In addition to the monetary, educational and cultural exchange benefits made possible by the award, Fulbright grantees carry the prestige of the Fulbright programme along with them throughout their careers. Alumni are expected to succeed and be ‘thought leaders’ in their respective fields/careers, and to support and remain engaged with the Fulbright programme for the rest of their lives.
Application process and forms
- You must complete and submit an online application by the application deadline*;
- You must also submit all required support documents to us by the application deadline;
- Interviews will be held in Wellington in August 2012. Fulbright New Zealand will pay the costs of travel to Wellington only for applicants residing in New Zealand. Applicants outside New Zealand who are unable to attend an interview in person may be disadvantaged;
- We will advise you of the outcome of your application by late August.
* Note that if the application deadline falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline is extended to 5:00pm on the next business day.
Application form and support documents
Applicants must complete both the official online application for the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program (which requires support documents to be uploaded and the names and email addresses of three references to be registered), and the supplementary application form enclosed in the following information pack:
Further information
For further information, contact our Programme Manager for this award, Ron Mitchell - ron@fulbright.org.nz / (04) 494 1500
Fulbright New Zealand has Campus Advisers stationed on all major New Zealand campuses. Our Advisers are all Fulbright alumni who are available to discuss their exchange experiences with students and staff, as well as to give basic information about our awards.