[USA] Scholarship for International Study - Luce Scholars Process
The goal of the program is to provide an Asian experience for those who will be future leaders in their field and communities, but have yet to come in much contact with Asian affairs. The Luce Scholars Program selection criteria include an applicant’s:
- strong, mature, and clearly defined career interest in a specific field (any professional field but Asian Affairs is acceptable);
- motivation and potential for accomplishment within their field;
- academic achievement, especially in their field;
- capacity for leadership; and
- openness to new ideas and a sensitivity to their fellow human beings.
The single most important consideration is that nominees give evidence of potential for leadership and accomplishment, both within a chosen profession and as members of the broader American community.
Early Review:
University of Illinois students and alumni are encouraged to submit drafts of their application to the Office of Scholarships for International Study well in advance of the campus deadline in order to receive feedback from the office. The Office of Scholarships for International Study is willing to work with applicants through numerous revisions. Submit the application via email to David Schug at dschug@uiuc.edu with a few potential meeting times to receive feedback.
REQUIRED Campus Deadline October 29, 2007:
The campus deadline for completed applications (including official transcripts from all college and graduate work and four letters of recommendation) is October 29, 2007. A complete Luce application must be submitted to the Scholarships for International Study Office in order to be considered for University of Illinois endorsement (a requirement to move forward in the competition). We will schedule interviews of short-listed candidates to be conducted within a few weeks of the application deadline. Based on your submittal and an interview, a Luce Scholars Campus Review Committee will determine your endorsement. The University will endorse those candidates the Committee feels have the potential to be Luce Scholars; up to three applicants may receive this endorsement.
Required information:
- Official transcripts from all college and graduate work
- At least 4 Letters of Recommendation (whenever possible, letters should represent a range of academic, professional, and personal references)
- A complete Luce Scholars Application (print out your saved online application form — be sure all of your text appears in the printed form!), including a 1,000-word personal statement outlining your (a) long range career interests, how they have developed, and plans for pursuing them in the future; and (b) reasons for applying to the Luce Scholars Program
Endorsed Applicant Deadline Noon, November 29, 2007:
Those students who have been endorsed need to submit their final Luce application packet to the Scholarships Office by 12:00 noon on Thursday, November 29. At this time, you will need to provide your revised original Luce application form (including a signed personal statement), any revised letters of recommendation, and two recent passport-size photographs (black and white preferred) with your name on them.
We are required to send all of your materials (including letters) to the Luce Foundation. Students may either hand deliver letters of recommendation in signed, sealed envelopes, or they may be submitted to the Office of Scholarships for International Study directly by the referee. While letters are submitted on campus, they should be written to the attention of the “Committee of Selection”. If letter writers wish to include the address, it is:
Henry Luce Foundation
51 Madison Avenue, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10010
The Final Stages:
The Office of Scholarships for International Study submits an official University Endorsement Letter along with your complete application materials (including reference letters) to the Luce Foundation. Your next step will be waiting to hear from the Luce Foundation. Each nominee will be interviewed by a former Luce Scholar who is in a vaguely similar career (as close as they can match you geographically and academically). Expect your interview to be held some time between December 10 and January 31. From this individual meeting, that interviewer will determine if you are of the caliber to be one of approximately 45 finalists to meet for a second round of interviews in late February or early March. To give you an idea of the schedule, last year one of our nominees first heard from the Luce Foundation on January 17 and interviewed on January 19. Then, our candidates were notified via regular mail of their status, and a second round of interviews were held in early March.
General Application Tips:
The boxes do not expand in the online application, so review your application when it is printed out to ensure everything you typed appears on the printed version.
Luce Website and Application:
For official information on the Luce Scholars Program (which supercedes any information provided here), please go to: www.hluce.org. An online application is available at www.lucescholars.org/lsapp.
For more information about scholarships for study outside the U.S. contact:
David Schug
Program Director
Scholarships for International Study
321 International Studies Building
Phone: (217) 244-0254
dschug@uiuc.edu
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