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Scholarship Program to Recognize Outstanding Czech Students and Prepare Them for Internationally-Oriented Careers in the Czech Republic.

                

The GE Foundation and the Institute of International Education (IIE) are pleased to announce the launch of the fourth year of the GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program in the Czech Republic.

The GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program, the first university scholarship of its kind in Central Europe, is sponsored by the General Electric Company’s philanthropic organization, the GE Foundation, as part of GE’s strong commitment to corporate philanthropy worldwide. The scholarship program is a regional program bringing together outstanding students from four Central and Eastern European countries. Prompted by the first successful year of this program in Hungary in 2002, the same program was launched in Poland in 2003, in the Czech Republic in 2004, and in Romania in 2006.

This is a unique program because it not only gives the students a scholarship, but also prepares them for their future careers in an internationally-oriented workforce in the Czech Republic. Students in their second year of studies from selected Czech universities (Brno University of Technology, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech University of Agriculture in Prague, Masaryk University of Brno, Technical University of Ostrava) in the fields of economics, management, engineering and technology are eligible.

Fifteen winners will be selected by IIE from a diverse and competitive applicant pool by an independent and neutral selection committee. The winners will be outstanding university students who will have earned their awards not only through outstanding academic accomplishments, but also remarkable extracurricular activities (e.g., community service, work or internships, participation in student groups, or voluntary organizations). Each of them will receive 1000 Euro annually for three years. More importantly, as part of the scholarship they will participate in volunteer activities, will attend an international leadership seminar in Budapest with other Central European students, and will gain a unique inside view of the GE company through a possible work shadowing day with a GE business manager in the Czech Republic.

The GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program was created in partnership with the Institute of International Education (IIE), a leading not-for-profit international education organization, whose European office is in Budapest, Hungary. The program is now in its sixth year in Europe and is designed to assist outstanding students from Central and Eastern Europe to develop their human capacity and leadership potential.

“Education has always been of crucial importance for GE, since for every country the quality of education influences the future to a great extent. For six years we have focused on the development of human capital in Central Europe through several innovative educational programs funded by the GE Foundation and supported by GE volunteers. We consider education and creating new opportunities for young people to be even more important today than ever before. We decided to support educational initiatives because GE - one of the major global investors and employers in the CEE region and a good corporate citizen – wants to contribute to the development of the communities where we live and work in meaningful ways” - explained Leslaw Kuzaj Regional Executive, GE Central Europe.

To date, 191 Scholar-Leaders from Central and Eastern Europe have participated in a regional summer seminar in Budapest, thus forming a strong regional network. “In addition to individual support to students in the Czech Republic and other countries, the GE Foundation Scholar-Leader Program also fosters the formation of a Central European network of young intellectuals, a phenomenon vitally important for the continued development and integration of the region” – commented Daniel Roberts, Director of the European Office of IIE.

And what do the students, who won the competition in the Czech Republic in 2005 and have just finished the program, say about their experiences with the GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program?

“The GE Scholarship brought great opportunities for me. It’s a great chance to meet people from other countries of Europe, to improve your English knowledge, and to become a leader with social responsibility.”
Marketa Tejklova

I can say that GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program is great opportunity for students to have better conditions for their studies, to get knowledge of many interesting topics, to meet many interesting people with great working experience, to learn a lot of new things and meet   a lot of new people.  It has had a big contribution to my life overall.
Hana Kostelnikova (Technical University of Ostrava)

I got lots of experience. I have become much more self-confident, I have realized what I want to do and what I don’t want to do, I met lot of interesting people and made a lot of friends. In one word – great and valuable experience.
Jiri Tobola (Brno University of Technology)

I became more self-confident. Also, I was very pleased that my activities (volunteer or not) are recognized and appreciated by someone who is himself/herself successful. I think this is very important motivation for all young students, and it helps them to continue to work on themselves.         
Marie Tehlova (Czech Technical University)

Scholar-Leaders program was a great experience for me. Except from the monetary award, which was also very useful, participation in the events such as the summer camp in Hungary or shadowing day was very interesting since it was completely new for me. I learned a lot and it showed me another world which I would probably not discover otherwise.
Tomas Skeren (Czech Technical University)

Additional Application information:
The application deadline is January 31, 2008; by this date do students have to mail their application material to IIE’s European Office. The application package consists of an application form, including a 1000 word essay, a CV, two recommendation letters (at least one from a university professor) and university transcripts from the first year (with unofficial English translation, if applicable). The language of the program is English.

 

GE Foundation
www.gefoundation.com