Grants Chair: Birol Yesilada

The Rotary Grants for University Teachers program furthers international understanding and development while strengthening higher education in low income countries.

Rotary Grants for University Teachers provide funds to higher education faculty to travel abroad to teach at colleges and universities in developing countries. The program is intended to build international understanding and foster development while strengthening higher education in low-income countries. The program also aims to establish ties between higher education institutions, leading to the exchange of ideas and information across the globe. The subjects taught by grant recipients must be relevant to the needs of the local population and contribute to the area's socio-economic development.

Grant recipients teach at universities and colleges for a period of 3 to 10 months in developing countries and share their knowledge and expertise. The fields taught should have practical use to the host country. Like Ambassadorial Scholars, teachers are expected to be outstanding ambassadors of goodwill to the people of the host country through both informal and formal appearance before Rotary clubs and districts, civic organizations and other forums. Upon returning home, grant recipients are expected to share their experiences with the people of their home countries and Rotarians who sponsored their grants.   In 2005-06, The Rotary Foundation awarded 20 University Teaching Grants.

Eligibility

Hold (or, if retired have held) a college or university appointment for 3 or more years, but need not hold (or have held) a specific rank.
Be a citizen of a country in which there is a Rotary club.
Be proficient in the language of the prospective host county.
Propose teaching in a low-income country in which there are Rotary Clubs.
Plan to teach at one institution for at least the minimum duration of the grant awarded.
Only half of the teacher's working hours during the grant period may be spent in research activities.

Applicants may be either Rotarians or non-Rotarians.

Awards are not restricted by gender, age or marital status.

Note: The proposed teaching field must have practical application to the socio-economic development of the host country. Excellent examples of fields that are particularly needed in low income countries include: agriculture, business/economics, computer science/technology, education/literacy, engineering, health care/medicine.

Pam Miller, A professor at Portland State University in the School of Social work has been chosen as the recipient of the District 5100 University Teachers Grant for 2008-09. Her sponsoring club is the Portland Metro. She departed to Poland and will be teaching at the Institute of Applied Sociology and social Work.

You can read her report. 

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