George J. Mitchell Scholarships*Gustavus Fellowships Office

Initial Gustavus Deadline: September 8, 2009 (noon)
Tentative Campus Interview: September 11, 2009
Gustavus Final Deadline: October 1, 2009 (noon)
Web site: www.us-irelandalliance.org
Campus Contact: Alisa Rosenthal, Fellowships Coordinator

Description

The George J. Mitchell Scholarship is a national competitive fellowship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. The Mitchell Scholarship, named to honor the former U.S. Senator’s pivotal contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, is designed to introduce and connect generations of future American leaders to the island of Ireland while recognizing and fostering intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to public service and community. Twelve Mitchell Scholars between the ages of 18 and 30 are chosen annually for one year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Applicants are judged on three criteria: academic excellence, leadership, and a sustained commitment to service and community.

Benefits

Mitchell Scholarships support one year of graduate study in any discipline offered by an institution of higher learning in Ireland or Northern Ireland. The Mitchell Scholarship provides tuition, housing, a $12,000 living expenses stipend, and an international travel stipend.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be citizens of the United States of America.
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older but NOT yet 30 on October 1, 2009.
• Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university before beginning study under the Mitchell Scholarship.

Gustavus’ Internal Selection Process

The Mitchell Scholarship requires that Gustavus students secure a formal institutional endorsement from the College. In order for the Committee to consider endorsing you, you must submit five collated packets of the materials listed below to the Gustavus Fellowships Office by the INITIAL GUSTAVUS DEADLINE. The Committee will review these materials, and those students who are deemed competitive will be contacted to schedule an interview date and time. Based on the submitted materials and the interview, the Committee will decide which application(s) will receive Gustavus’ endorsement.

• Personal statement (see details provided below in “Materials for Final Consideration”)
• Unofficial transcript (print off of WebAdvisor)
• Current resume
• Three letters of recommendation. (Please note that if you receive Gustavus’ endorsement you will need to submit five letters of recommendation.)

Materials for Final Consideration

If you receive Gustavus’ endorsement, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your materials. Endorsed candidates are strongly encouraged to use the online application system to register Alisa Rosenthal, Fellowships Coordinator, as their fellowship advisor. This will allow her to view, but not edit, your application before it is submitted to the Mitchell Scholarship office.

By the FINAL GUSTAVUS DEADLINE, endorsed applicants must electronically submit a complete, online Mitchell Scholarship Application, which includes:

• Personal Information
• Education and Employment Information
• Five Letters of Recommendation. If the applicant is a full time student, at least three letters must be from persons with whom the applicant has done academic work at a college or university. Applicants must register recommenders online and provide the email address of the recommender. Once registered, each recommender will receive an email with a login user name and password in order to submit the recommendation online. Applicants are encouraged to follow up with the recommenders to make sure the email instructions have been received.
• Awards and Activities Information
• Personal Statement. This statement should not exceed 1,000 words and should describe the applicant’s field of interest and the justification for the applicant’s proposed study in Ireland or Northern Ireland. The personal statement should include a list of at least three and up to five specific proposed graduate programs at universities in Ireland and/or Northern Ireland. It is essential that applicants list at least three different Irish/Northern Ireland university choices. Listing only one or two university choices will significantly weaken an applicant’s candidacy. This is because university placement is a factor in the selection process. Selection committee members will place special emphasis on the personal statement.
• Institutional Endorsement, which will be coordinated by the Gustavus Fellowships Office. The applicant must register an Institutional Endorsement contact using the online recommendation system contained within the online application. It is preferred that applicants in their first year of graduate school should request an endorsement from their undergraduate institution. The Mitchell Scholarship program will accept Institutional Endorsements from the university president, dean or other administrative official responsible for graduate fellowships. The letter of endorsement should describe the on-campus university selection or review process of prospective candidates, if applicable. If applicants are not full-time students at the time of application, no institutional endorsement is required.
• Provide hard copies of the following supporting documents to the Gustavus Fellowships Office, which will forward these documents to the Foundation on the applicant’s behalf. (The Mitchell Scholarship Office must receive them no later than Monday, October 6, 2009.)
• Two photocopies of the applicant’s birth certificate, passport, or documented evidence of U.S. citizenship (a driver’s license is NOT a citizenship document). (The Gustavus Fellowships Office will retain one copy for their files.)
• Eleven passport-sized photos of unmounted head and shoulders photograph of the applicant with the applicant’s signature on the back of each photo. (The Gustavus Fellowships Office will retain one copy for their files.)
• Eleven copies of the applicant’s official college transcript. (The Gustavus Fellowships Office will make these copies.) The Registrar or other responsible university official must certify the original. The remaining ten copies may be photocopies. If an applicant has attended more than one university, all transcripts must be submitted.

More about the Selection Process

Initially, a team of Readers evaluates the applications, based on an extensive amount of material available to them, including the application itself, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and academic transcript. Following the evaluations by the Readers, roughly 30 semi-finalists are selected, some of whom will be invited to Washington, DC for semi-finalist interviews. The Selection Committee brings approximately 20 finalists to Washington, DC for interviews. Final interviews will be held this year on Friday and Saturday, November 21 and 22, 2009.

Please note that applicants are responsible for all photocopying needed for the internal selection process and as required by the foundation.