Contact: R Denise Williamson, Communications Manager, Maryland School of Public Policy, 301-405-6334, 240-593-6283 cell, rdenise@umd.edu; Dave Ottalini, Senior Media Relations Associate, University of Maryland, 301-405-4076

 

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 4 /Standard Newswire/ -- The University of Maryland's School of Public Policy has been selected as one of the inaugural homes for a major new fellowship program to help provide the federal government with future policy leaders in international relations and foreign affairs. The new Robertson Fellows program launches one of the biggest private investments in government service in recent years.

 

The university is one of four universities awarded grants from the newly established Robertson Foundation for Government (RFFG), a nonprofit family foundation dedicated to fulfilling the decades-long mission of Charles and Marie Robertson to equip young men and women for federal government careers in foreign policy, national security and international affairs.

 

The initial grant of $340,800 will establish the Robertson Fellows Program within the School of Public Policy. Four Maryland students will receive full financial support during the two-year Master of Public Policy Program. The graduate students chosen as Robertson Fellows at Maryland include : Kira West, Christopher Vorhis, James Trent and Matthew Southerland. Over the next three entering classes, a total of 12 students will receive full funding for their graduate studies through a combination of RFFG and School of Public Policy funding.

 

Dean Donald F. Kettl, says the school is ideally suited for taking on the Fellows program. "The Robertson Foundation for Government and the Maryland School of Public Policy share the same mission to identify talented individuals and provide them with the skills needed to address the pressing challenges facing our nation," Kettl said. "We are one of a few select programs in the country that provide graduate-level professional training in both public policy and international affairs."

 

Robertson Fellows are required to complete the School's two-year master's program, to undertake a summer internship with the U.S. government in an agency with an international mission, and to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. Upon completion of the MPP program, Robertson Fellows must secure employment with the federal government for at least three years during the first five years after graduating.

 

"The U.S. government's needs today are great because the challenges faced by government executives are formidable, to say the least," says RFFG chairman William Robertson. "But there is an incredible reservoir of talent, intelligence, motivation, and energy in our country - citizens who embody the spirit of public service that inspired my mother and father. We will help put that pool of talent to work for the American people and for the cause of freedom that was so important to my parents."

 

"What makes this program unique is that we're virtually the only private foundation in the United States to be in this space, supporting students interested in pursuing federal government careers in foreign policy, national security and international affairs," Robertson said. "In the next 10 years there will be a huge outflow of public employees taking retirement and we need to fill those positions with top quality candidates. Maryland's School of Public Policy was selected because it has one of the finest graduate programs in the nation. The fellowships will help prepare graduates for federal government careers and enable them to begin their careers without being thousands of dollars in debt."

 

The inaugural class of Robertson Fellows at Maryland includes Matthew Southerland, James Trent, Christopher Vorhis, and Kira West. "Their exceptional undergraduate academic records and experiences make them prime candidates for this prestigious fellowship," Kettl said.

 

The School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park, provides graduate and post-graduate studies in a comprehensive range of domestic and international policy areas. Situated near the nation's capital, the school affords access for students and faculty to the broad spectrum of governmental and nongovernmental agencies that formulate and implement policies affecting the economy, the environment, welfare, children and families, and international relations.

 

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