National Security Education Program Graduate Scholarships:
Students create their own proposal for research (design program
and what they will spend monies on) to support academic study/life's work
post-school.  Offers short-term summer study programs (highly competitive). 
Service Requirement: Homeland Security;
Department of Defense and Department of State, or in intelligence community.
After minimum one-year service proviso completed, can work in any
area of government or in a federal agency.  Campus deadline is
January 24, 2008.  Campus Advisor:  Linda Olson-Levy, Center for
International Education, BH-201, email: llevy@csulb.edu.  NSEP
Graduate website: www.aed.org/nsep .

U.S. National Security Focus: NSEP focuses on geographic areas,
languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national
security. It draws on a broad definition of national security
applied by the President in his annual National Security Strategy,
recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to
include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and
promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global
society, including: sustainable development, environmental
degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and
migration, and economic competitiveness.

International Focus: NSEP scholarships are intended to provide
support to U.S. undergraduates who will pursue the study of
languages and cultures currently underrepresented in study abroad
and critical to U.S. national security.

Language Study: NSEP emphasizes the importance of language
study as a major component of your study abroad program. Study of a foreign
language appropriate to the identified country must be an integral
part of each proposal. In addition, you must meet any language
requirements of the study abroad experience you propose.

All study abroad programs do not offer the same opportunities to
learn a language. The language component must incorporate
opportunities to learn a language in a context that is
meaningful to your language proficiency and language learning goals.
You should take into account any prior knowledge and experience in the
proposed language when selecting and designing your study abroad
program.

If you already have studied the language you should consider what
opportunities the program will provide for you to advance your
proficiency. If you have not studied the language, you should
consider what the program offers you in opportunities to make
substantial progress.

Among the issues you should consider in selecting your program
are:
  · Does the program offer language courses that emphasize rigorous
  study and practical use of the contemporary language leading to
  increased proficiency in reading, speaking, and listening?
  · How many classroom contact hours are offered in the language
  study? Will this be sufficient to increase your language
  proficiency?   
  · Are there opportunities to study the language in
  small groups
  tailored to your proficiency level?
  · Who are the faculty who teach language? Are they native speakers
  with extensive experience in teaching foreign students?
  · Is there a full-time U.S. resident director at the
  institution who
  will help oversee your academic and cultural programs and monitor
  your language learning?
  · Are there serious opportunities for living in university housing
  or home-stays where the foreign language will be spoken on a
  regular basis? How are home-stay families selected?

Since NSEP encourages students to study in countries whose
languages are less commonly taught at U.S. institutions, it is
anticipated that many students will not be familiar with the
language of their chosen country. Prior study of another language
will serve as an indication of interest and aptitude.

  Note: Study of a common language (Spanish or French) is
permissible only when it is at an advanced level of competency.
In such cases,the study abroad experience should not focus on language
acquisition, but rather on academic course work.

Special Exception: NSEP will consider applications from students at the
intermediate level of Spanish or French if their field of study
is in applied
sciences or engineering. At the time of application, determination
of intermediate/advanced language level will be self-assessed.
IIE/NSEP will verify the self-assessed competency level of grant
recipients through a commonly used testing instrument.

The NSEP Service Requirement: The NSEP service requirement
stipulates that an award recipient work in the Departments of
Defense, Homeland Security, State, or the Intelligence Community.
If, after making a full and good faith effort (according to
conditions and rules established by NSEP), an award recipient
demonstrates to NSEP that no appropriate position is available in
one of these agencies, he or she may work in any U.S. federal
department or agency. There is also an expectation that NSEP
Scholars will use the language or regional expertise acquired
as a result of the award in their work for the U.S. government.

  All applications must be submitted online.  Campus Advisor:  Linda
  Olson-Levy, Center for International Education, BH-201, email:
  llevy@csulb.edu. 


  Center for International Education
  
  International Admissions