6/21/2013 – JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) — Eligible Airmen interested in unique scholarships and fellowships must submit completed, endorsed applications by July 31, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.
Opportunities offered annually include the Olmsted Scholar Program, the White House Fellowship Program, the Mansfield Fellowship Exchange Program and the Information Assurance Scholarship Program, each of which has specific time on station and date eligible for return from overseas requirements.
“These scholarship and fellowship programs offer unique developmental experience for Air Force leaders,” said Tech. Sgt. Jason Franklin, AFPC officer developmental education. “Program participants garner greater understanding of our global impact and a critical, strategic perspective.”
Olmsted Scholar Program
The Olmsted Scholar Program is an opportunity for Air Force line officers to study in a foreign language at a university overseas. Candidates selected for the program will experience cultural immersion in the selected country, including university study in the native language. Applicants must be line officers with at least three years but no more than 11 years of active commissioned service, Franklin said.
Members of some career fields are not eligible to apply, including some medical professions, legal officers, public affairs, finance, chaplain, and contracting. Officers selected for an Olmsted Scholarship will be designated as regional affairs strategists and will serve on a dual career path, alternating between their primary career field and RAS assignments. Go to the myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil, for eligibility information and application instructions. Go to the George and Carol Olmsted Foundation website at www.olmstedfoundation.org for more information about the program.
White House Fellowship Program
The White House Fellowship Program provides promising leaders with first-hand experience in the American government process. Selected candidates work for a year as special assistants or senior executives to cabinet-level agencies or in the executive office of the president. A nonpartisan program, participants experience the process of governing the nation, working with high-level public servants and participating in roundtable discussions with notable private sector and public leaders. Program dates are August 2014 to August 2015.
Applicants must have sufficient retainability to serve an active duty service commitment equal to three times the length of training, Franklin said. Selectees must also be available for reassignment and released by their AFPC assignment officer. Go to myPers for eligibility and application information. Go to www.whitehouse.gov/about/fellows for more information about the program.
Mansfield Fellowship Exchange Program
Airmen interested in cultural immersion in Japan can look into the Mansfield Fellowship Exchange Program. Named after former U.S. Ambassador Mike Mansfield, the program enables federal government employees to develop in-depth understanding of Japan and its government and to develop relationships with their Japanese counterparts. The program has been restructured to allow 10 Fellows to serve for one year, Franklin said.
The restructure includes a seven-week home-stay and intensive Japanese language program in the Ishikawa Prefecture, followed by a 10-month placement in Tokyo. Officers in all career fields except physicians and dentists are eligible to apply for the program. Officers selected for the program will be designated as RAS officers and will serve on a dual career path. Mansfield fellowship opportunities are also open to enlisted members who meet program criteria. Interested enlisted members should contact their respective assignment functions for application information. Go to myPers for eligibility and application information, and to www.mansfieldfdn.org for additional program information.
Information Assurance Scholarship Program
The Department of Defense established the Information Assurance Scholarship Program to meet the growing need for qualified information assurance personnel and to meet America’s growing need for secure information technology, Franklin said.
Eligible candidates could earn master’s degrees in cyber operations, information resource management, electrical engineering or computer engineering, or a doctorate computer science. Participating institutions have different requirements. Through the Air Force Institute of Technology, the program is open to officers, enlisted and civilian Airmen of any grade, but those pursuing a master’s degree must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Those pursuing a doctorate must have an appropriate master’s with a 3.5 GPA. Active duty military applicants through the National Defense University iCollege program must be majors and above with GPA requirements similar to AFIT’s. The scholarship program covers tuition, fees and books, with follow-on placement dependent on Air Force needs. For more information about the program, including eligibility criteria and application requirements, go to the myPers website.
“In addition to exposing Air Force leaders to cultural and political environments outside their normal duties, the special programs support the Air Force continuum of learning model designed to grow leaders throughout their careers,” Franklin said.
AFPC will host two webinars for interested Airmen June 27. For the 7 a.m. Central time webinar, go to https://connect.dco.dod.mil/SpecialProgramsAM. For the 4 p.m. central time webinar, go to https://connect.dco.dod.mil/SpecialProgramsPM.
For more information about developmental opportunities, and other personnel issues, go to myPers at https://mypers.af.mil and enter “PSDM 13-54” in the search window.