The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is inviting journalists with at least five years of full-time professional experience in the news media to apply for the 2007 Nieman International Fellowships. The deadline for the 2007 International Fellowships is December 15, 2005. Successful candidates will be notified by February 15, 2006.
Awarded each year to 12 working journalists from the United States and 12 from other countries, the fellowships allow individuals to pursue one year of academic study at Harvard, engage in the intellectual life of the university and make connections with others in their field.
Nieman Fellowships are awarded to print, broadcast and online reporters, editors, photographers, producers, editorial writers and cartoonists with at least five years of full-time, professional experience in the news media.
At Harvard, Nieman Fellows experience discovery and enrichment, learning and reflection in classrooms, in Nieman seminars and from the close friendships that emerge during the Nieman year. Each fellow is free to design an individual course of study. Some pursue classes in a reporting specialty. Others explore the breadth of Harvard's schools and departments. For many Niemans, it is a year of transformation, enabling them to return to their news organisations with renewed journalistic purpose.
Eligibility and Application Forms:
The Nieman Foundation selects an equal number of US and international journalists. Twelve US and 12 international fellowships are awarded to journalists of accomplishment and promise who have demonstrated a capacity for growth and leadership and whose application statements argue persuasively that their experience at Harvard will improve their abilities as journalists.
Two of the most important parts of a Nieman Fellowship application are the personal statement and the proposal for study at Harvard. The statement describes the candidate's journalistic experience and career plans and aspirations. The proposal discusses the proposed study at Harvard, including subjects or fields of study, but not specific course titles. The selection committee carefully evaluates these essays for both accomplishment and potential. The committee is particularly interested in indicators that suggest a significant capacity for growth and leadership. They also want to know how a year at Harvard will help make the candidate a better journalist.
Qualifications:
There is no nomination process. Candidates nominate themselves by submitting an application and supplementary materials. There is no age limit. There are no academic prerequisites. No college degree is required.
- All applicants must be full-time staff or freelance journalists for the news or editorial departments of newspapers, wire services, radio, television, online publications or magazines of general public interest. Additionally, photojournalists, editorial cartoonists, columnists and broadcast producers are eligible.
- All applicants must have at least five years of professional news-media experience, although most have been working for between seven and 10 years. Among recent applicants, the average professional experience is 12 years. Work done as a university student does not count toward experience. People who work in public relations or at organizations whose primary business is not the media are not eligible.
- All applicants must have their employer's consent for a leave of absence during the 2006-2007 academic year (mid-August through mid-June).
- If you have recently participated in a fellowship, full-time course of study or other sabbatical programme lasting four months or more, please wait two years before applying for a Nieman Fellowship.
Stipulations:
Once candidates have been chosen and before their confirmation as Nieman Fellows by the Harvard Corporation, they must agree in writing to four stipulations:
- To return at the end of the sabbatical year to the employer who granted the leave of absence.
- To refrain from professional work during the period of the fellowship.
- To complete all the work in two academic courses of their choice: one in the fall semester, the other in the spring.
- To remain in residence in the Cambridge area each term while classes are in session.
Click here to apply.
