Last modified: Thursday, April 22, 2010
SPEA to enroll graduate students through Vietnam Young Leader Awards program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Fifteen students from Vietnam will enroll this fall in the Master of Public Affairs program at Indiana University Bloomington through a new program co-sponsored by the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training.
The program, called Vietnam Young Leader Awards, will provide full scholarships for outstanding Vietnamese government employees. This marks the first time that Vietnam has taken part in a specific program to send young people to the United States for training in public policy.
"We look forward to welcoming these talented young professionals," said Professor Michael Rushton, director of the Master of Public Affairs program. "The Vietnam Young Leader Awards program will extend SPEA's engagement with a region that is growing rapidly in importance and influence."
Vietnam has a fast-growing economy and a shortage of trained public leaders, and the Vietnam Young Leader Awards will create a flow of well-trained young people who can become leaders in government and society, said Anh Tran, an assistant professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs who was instrumental in creating the program. The initiative also will strengthen ties between Vietnam and the United States, he said.
For SPEA, the program will bring an international perspective to class discussions and activities. It will also expand the school's global outreach, particularly in Asia, and contribute to the international alumni network of SPEA and Indiana University.
SPEA will support the program by charging Indiana resident tuition rates for the Vietnam Young Leader Awards students. The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training will pay tuition and other expenses.
The first class of Vietnam Young Leader Awards recipients will be selected this summer and will travel to Bloomington for an academic preparation program at IU. The students will enroll this fall in the two-year M.P.A. program, on schedule to graduate and return to Vietnam in May 2012.
About SPEA
The Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs is a world leader in public affairs and the environmental sciences and is the largest school of public affairs in the United States, each year awarding 500 bachelor's degrees and 250 graduate degrees. In the most recent "Best Graduate Schools" by U.S. News & World Report, SPEA ties for second overall and is the highest-ranked public institution for graduate programs in public affairs. Six of its specialty programs are ranked in the U.S. News top 10.
