IFP in final phase
The Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Programme (IFP) is coming to completion. The last group of fellows have started their studies last autumn. Now the programme enters its ‘learning and impact’ phase, aimed at knowledge exchange.
On 9-11 January the IFP ‘placement partners’ (British Council, IIE and Nuffic) met to extensively discuss future plans. The three partners will cooperate closely in this final phase of the programme, especially in matters concerning the Final Reports.
The IFP model
For a decade, the IFP provided higher education opportunities for social justice leaders from marginalised communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Russia. The programme worked towards the goal of ensuring educational opportunity for all, by developing a unique fellowship model that integrated the following aspects into the recruitment and selection process:
- gender;
- race;
- ethnicity;
- region;
- religion;
- economic and educational background; and
- physical disability.
IFP fellows are exceptional individuals who have demonstrated social commitment and academic achievement. A total of 4,337 fellows were selected over the course of the programme. By 2011, 98% of the fellows from the early selection groups had earned their degrees.
Knowledge exchange
The IFP plans to use the remaining time to compile information on programme outcomes, so that future analysts and scholars will be able to utilise and assess results.
The Rare Books and Manuscripts Archive of Columbia University will host the permanent archive of the programme. They will also assemble it and make it available to the public.
Alumni
Since 2003 the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) of the University of Twente has evaluated the effectiveness of the IFP, by conducting alumni surveys. CHEPS will continue to track alumni until 2013. The IIE’s Research and Evaluation Department will even trace alumni until 2023.
In 2012, the IFP will launch a new global website for alumni, that will serve as a living legacy of the programme. It will remain in operation even after closure of the programme, since the content will be uploaded for a larger part by the alumni themselves in an online community.
More information
You can find more information on www.fordifp.org