Neelendra Joshi left his home in the Himalayan mountains region of India to get his doctoral degree in agricultural science at Penn State. He is one of four Ford Foundation International Fellows presently studying at the University. Two more graduated earlier this year.
Joshi has a varied background in academics and research ranging from entomology to organic training. As a youngster, he used to watch his mother at work in small orchards and fields collecting the larvae from white grub beetles to prevent them from destroying crops. It sparked a lifelong interest in insects.
"We need to develop more practices that protect our food crops, but they should be sustained in the benign presence of insects," he said. Joshi's agricultural studies at Penn State will give him the skills that can help his country move forward. "I feel my study will help gain knowledge," he said. "I go here to implement skills in the field that will enhance the development of organic agriculture in my native state."
As a Ford Foundation International Fellow, Joshi is part of an annual program to provide the opportunity for graduate study to individuals who will use their training to become leaders in their respective fields, furthering development in their own countries and greater economic and social justice worldwide. Applicants must be from social groups and communities that lack systematic access to higher education for reasons that may include cast, ethnicity, gender, geographic isolation, disability, race or other issues.
Worldwide, about 250 fellows are in the field this year, according to Tammy Langan, program officer at the Institute of International Education, which administers the program for the Ford Foundation. "This year is the largest recruitment ever. We will have 550 fellows worldwide."
The number of Ford fellows at Penn State is high. "Any school where we have more than five is significant," Langan said. "We try to cluster the fellows so that the can interact together and be their own cohort."
In a letter to the Office of International Programs at Penn State, Langan wrote about the University being identified as having "quality academic program relevant to IFP Fellows' interests, excellent support services and a strong commitment" to working with the fellows.
The University's cluster of students is an honor, according to Negar Davis, director of International Student Services. "It's huge," she said. "Anytime we can get fellowship scholars is quite important to us. It's very prestigious. These programs provide leadership and education opportunities to qualified individuals around the world who come here to complete their educations and go back to their countries to work there.
"We are just simply honored to provide the education they are seeking and to have a positive relationship with the Ford Foundation," she continued. "We like to have scholars from all nationalities and disciplines to come to Penn State and enrich our classrooms with their presence."
International Student Services (ISS) and other campus offices are responsible for providing services that meet specific criteria for Ford Foundation International Fellows to attend Penn State. Among those services are providing intensive English and computer training as well as varied disability services as needed for the fellows. ISS also works collaboratively with colleges and departments to where the Ford fellows are enrolled to provide mentoring and guidance on a case-by-case basis. "International Student Services takes pride in the students and scholars from sponsored programs and will take any necessary steps to work much more closely with the students who are sent to Penn State annually," she said. Right now, more than 200 students sponsored by various international agencies are attending Penn State.
Indeed, the Office of International Student Services is the front line of student advocacy for all foreign students enrolled at Penn State. The office offers support for everything from housing assistance to immigration issues.
Ford Foundation International Fellowships awards are about $25,000 to $30,000 per year for three years. The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program was launched in 2000 with a planned 10-year duration. Since its inception, it has helped 1,500 scholars with an opportunity for advanced study. According to the foundation's annual report, some 3,500 scholars from 22 countries will have passed through the program by the year 2012. Some $280 million has been allocated to the program through the Ford Foundation. Fellows come from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Russia.
Penn State was Joshi's first choice for admission and he is pleased to be studying here. "One can learn many things here," he said of the department. "It's truly a multicultural department."
This is Joshi's first trip to the States, but he said he was prepared because of the extensive orientation programs that he underwent. Despite the training in cross cultures, Joshi said he was surprised by the first-name culture in the United States especially as it refers to greeting professors on such an informal basis. "Back at home, teachers are like a god," he said. "We have a hierarchy. First is mother, then father, then teacher, then god. It is quite hard to call my teacher by first name but I think it was quite friendly, you get more interactive with the teacher. I think it's quite good. One can learn more things in this academic setup. It is very student-oriented."
Two fellows are recent Penn State graduates. Sam Duo, who graduated with a master's degree in agriculture, is a program officer for Social Enterprise Development (SEND) Foundation of West Africa-Liberia Program. The graduate is working with 16 organizations on a building program in Liberia that will help replace facilities damaged by 14 years of civil unrest.
"We are promoting soya beans in Liberia," he wrote via e-mail. "Soya bean is a nutritious crop. It is good for children and pregnant women. SEND Foundation will arrange for international market where small-scale farmers will be able to earn a foreign exchange. This development program will help refugees and internally displaced people affected by the civil war to quickly get established and be able to send their children to school and feed them."
Baochang Liu graduated with a a master's degree in sociology. Because of the fellowship, "I got a job offer from China Population and Development Research Center after I graduated from the Penn State and am working in the International Research and Liaison Division of it," he e-mailed from Beijing.
Other fellows in the program are seeking graduate degrees in chemistry, agricultural economics, agricultural science and mycology. Delphina Mamiro of Tanzania is working on a doctoral degree in plant mycology. She said she sometimes gets homesick but enjoys the research she is conducting.
Having these fellows at Penn State is an opportunity for a mutual cross-cultural learning experience, Davis said. "We gain from their presence a wealth of information. They gain from us an education and learn about the American way of life which in turn will contribute to mutual understandings.
"It's a step toward globalization and hopefully peace in the world," she continued, "especially in light of the turmoil and conflict that could be handled by just understanding one another's beliefs and values."