Inflate my Head!!!

LOCAL STUDENT SELECTED TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIP TO STUDY OVERSEAS

I copied this off a press release form that my scholarship people sent me. I would have posted the whole file, but its pdf and not online, so that would have been difficult. But besides inflating my ego with a post about how awesome (and Lucky!) I am to be awarded this scholarship, this release really does give a good background into the NSEP scholarship, more so then I could ever do. Enjoy.

Congress established the National Security Education Program in the aftermath of the Cold War to address the national security education needs of the United States. NSEP provides outstanding and highly motivated U.S. students with the necessary resources and encouragement to study abroad to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to the future security of our nation, in exchange for a commitment to seek work in the federal government. NSEP Boren Scholars achieve high levels of language proficiency, are drawn from a wide range of academic fields, and represent our future government leaders.

NSEP granted scholarships to 130 undergraduate students for academic year 2005-06. NSEP Boren Scholars will study 24 different languages, including the most popular languages Arabic, Mandarin, and Russian, in 31 different countries. Nearly 70% of all NSEP Boren Scholars will study abroad for a full academic year. Interest in NSEP has remained strong in recent years, as students have responded to world events by seeking to learn more about other languages and cultures. NSEP received 733 applications for undergraduate scholarships in 2005. “The National Security Education Program,” according to Robert Slater, director of the NSEP program, “represents an essential component of a comprehensive national security strategy to address serious and long-time deficiencies in critical language expertise.”

Since 1994, more than 2,000 students have received NSEP Boren Scholarships. Program alumni are working throughout the federal government and contributing to the critical missions of, among others, the Departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, and the Intelligence Community. In addition to undergraduate scholarships, NSEP also awards fellowships to graduate students, and supports the National Flagship Language Initiative, a partnership between the federal government and higher education to produce university graduates with a superior level of proficiency in languages critical to U.S. national security. The Institute of International Education (IIE), the nation’s largest nonprofit educational and cultural exchange agency, serves as the administrative agency for the NSEP David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships.