2023 Study of the U.S. Institutes for Young Women Leaders
Deadline to apply: November 12, 2022.
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Amman is pleased to announce the 2023 Study of the U.S. Institutes for Young Women Leaders
OVERVIEW:
The Study of the U.S. Branch has sponsored Student Leader Institutes since 2003. The Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSIs) for Young Women Leaders began as the Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders on Women’s Leadership in 2010 and were rebranded this year. SUSIs for Student Leaders are intensive short-term academic programs whose purpose is to provide groups of undergraduate student leaders with a deeper understanding of the United States while simultaneously enhancing their leadership skills. Each Institute hosts 20 participants. The Institutes consist of a four-week academic residency with a balanced series of seminar discussions, readings, group presentations, and lectures. Site visits, leadership development, cultural activities, and community service complement the coursework and academic sessions. If conditions allow, the Institutes will include a one-week integrated study tour in the United States. Note that if the program must take place virtually, participants will engage in similar activities but online from their home countries.
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Young Women Leaders enhance participants’ knowledge of U.S. history, government, institutions, society, and culture while developing their leadership skills. The Institutes will incorporate a focus on American historical events as well as contemporary American life including current political, social, and economic debates in a pluralistic society. The Institutes will examine how government policies, business and private sector practices, and socio-cultural norms engage and affect women through the four thematic lenses presented below. The Institutes will also provide participants with opportunities to discuss current U.S. and global women’s issues such as: progress and opportunities for women’s leadership, combatting violence against women, addressing income disparity and other challenges to women in the workplace, women’s health issues, and the ways in which women can contribute to global peace, security, and stability. The program will examine the participation of women through the following four Institute themes: Civic Engagement, Economic Development, Environmental Issues, and Public Policy.
The participants are expected to be highly motivated first through third year undergraduate students from colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education, who demonstrate leadership through academic work, community involvement, and extracurricular activities. Their fields of study will be varied and may include the sciences, social sciences, humanities, education, business, and other professional fields.
Candidates should:
- be female;
- be proficient in English (speaking, reading, writing, listening);
- be interested in the topic of Women’s Leadership;
- be between 18 and 25 years of age;
- have at least one semester left of their undergraduate studies, and therefore be committed to return to their home universities following completion of the program;
- demonstrate strong leadership qualities and potential in their university and community activities;
- indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States;
- have a sustained high level of academic achievement, as indicated by grades, awards, and teacher recommendations;
- demonstrate commitment to community and extracurricular university activities;
- have little or no prior study or travel experience in the United States or elsewhere outside of their home country;
- be mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful, and inquisitive;
- be willing and able to fully participate in an intensive academic program, community service, and educational travel; and,
- if the program is conducted in-person, be comfortable with campus life, prepared to share living accommodations, and able to adjust to cultural and social practices different from those of their home country; and,
- if the program must be conducted virtually, posts must ensure that participants have access to the internet or help facilitate such access
OTHER ESSENTIAL PROGRAM INFORMATION:
Program Funding: The U.S. government will cover all participant costs, including program administration; international and visa travel, travel allowances, domestic travel and ground transportation; book, cultural, mailing and incidental allowances; and housing and subsistence.
Housing and Meal Arrangements: Housing will be in university dorms or a full-service hotel within walking distance of most classroom activities. Participants may be expected to share a room with another student of the same gender. Most meals will be provided at campus facilities, though participants may have access to a kitchen to cook some meals on their own.
Care will be taken to ensure that any special requirements regarding diet, daily worship, housing, and medical care are satisfied. Special accommodations will be made available to the greatest extent possible. Should a participant need to quarantine due to positive COVID-19 test results, accommodations will follow Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.
Health Benefits: All participants will receive the Department of State’s coverage of $100,000 with a $25 co-pay per medical visit and a $75 co-pay per emergency room visit, for the duration of the program. Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
Program Requirements and Restrictions: Candidates should be aware that they are applying for an intensive and rigorous academic Institute and are expected to fully participate in all aspects of the program. Participants must attend all lectures, participate in all required organized activities, and complete all assignments. Due to the intensive nature of the program, participants should not expect to fulfill professional or academic obligations, including remote work for jobs or internships, classwork, or examinations for their home university, while in the United States. Doing so will count as an unexcused absence from program activities. Family members and/or friends may not accompany or join participants for any part of the program.
Travel Policy: Participants are not allowed to arrive in the United States prior to the start date of the SUSI or remain in the United States after the end date. Similarly, participants will not be permitted to leave the SUSI to visit relatives or friends while in the United States. If a relative or friend wishes to visit a participant, it will be considered on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the ECA program officer and the host institution. Participants are required to return to their home countries immediately following the end of the Institute.
Violations of program rules, host institution rules, or local, state, or federal laws can be grounds for immediate dismissal from the program. It is important that these requirements and restrictions be made clear to all candidates before nominations are submitted.
Participants will have to travel on a J-1 visa; therefore you will be subject to the two-year home-country foreign residency requirement. You must return to your home country for a cumulative total of two years at the end of your exchange visitor program. You are not prohibited from traveling to the United States but may not benefit from certain employment-based or family-based visas until the foreign residency requirement is satisfied.
Immediate family members of U.S. Embassy employees are ineligible for this program.
English Language Ability: All candidates must be proficient in English so that they can actively participate in the academic program.
Virtual Program Contingency: Should health, safety, and travel conditions continue to pose significant challenges, the SUSI will pivot to a virtual format. The virtual program would consist of a minimum of 36 hours of required programming with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. To the extent possible, the virtual programming would include lectures, small group discussions, videos, readings, panels, site visits, leadership development, assignments, and individual and group activities. Participants would be expected to fully participate in the entire virtual program from their locations.
Connectivity: Should the program need to pivot to a virtual format, participants would need access to a computer and a stable internet connection. If a participant does not have access to these two items, the university partner will work with the participant and post to facilitate access. Participants would be expected to actively engage in all program activities, and therefore, they should notify immediately the host institution and post of any issues with their online access during the duration of the program as well as any difficulties affecting their participation.
To apply, please fill out the application form using the following link: https://forms.gle/gBxVRGWzwKxxrXdh6
Deadline to apply is: November 12, 2022.
For further information on the program, please email us at: USAinJoExchanges@state.gov
