Peabody Welcomes Edmund S. Muskie Fellows

topics: Leadership, Policy and Organizations

U.S. Dept. of State

Vanderbilt University is pleased to welcome two new international students on campus as part of the
U.S. Department of State's Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program. Joining the Vanderbilt
University family are Aliya Bizhanova from Kazakhstan, and Irina Kruglova from Russia.
Established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to encourage economic and democratic growth in Eurasia,
the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program is a program of the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State (ECA), and administered by IREX. The Edmund S.
Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program aims to promote mutual understanding, build democracy and
foster the transition to market economies in Eurasia through intensive academic study and professional
training for fellows from 12 countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition to their academic
coursework, all Muskie fellows perform community service and complete a summer internship in their
field of study.

The Muskie program is highly competitive, averaging over 3,000 applications per year with a 5% rate of
acceptance. For more information, visit http://www.irex.org/programs/muskie/index.asp.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual
understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to promote
friendly, sympathetic, and peaceful relations, as mandated by the Mutual Educational and Cultural
Exchanges Act of 1961. ECA accomplishes its mission through a range of programs based on the
benefits of mutual understanding, international educational and cultural exchange, and leadership
development. For more information about ECA exchanges, visit http://exchanges.state.gov.