Stanford University (officially Leland Stanford Junior University) is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies 8,180 acres (3,310 hectares), among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Stanford University was founded in 1885 by Leland Stanford—a railroad magnate who served as the eighth governor of and then-incumbent senator from California—and his wife, Jane, in memory of their only child, Leland Stanford Jr., who had died of typhoid fever aged 15 the previous year. The university admitted its first students on October 1, 1891, as a coeducational and non-denominational institution.
The university is organized around seven schools on the same campus: three schools consisting of 45 academic departments at the undergraduate level, as well as four professional schools that focus on graduate programs in law, medicine, education, and business.
As of April 2021, 58 Nobel laureates, 29 Turing Award laureates, and 8 Fields Medalists have been affiliated with Stanford as students, alumni, faculty, or staff. In addition, Stanford is particularly noted for its entrepreneurship and is one of the most successful universities in attracting funding for start-ups. Stanford alumni have founded numerous companies. Stanford is the alma mater of U.S. President Herbert Hoover.
The Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program on Democracy and Development is a training program hosted annually by Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). Launched in 2005 and formerly known as the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program, the program brings together a group of approximately 28-30 mid-career practitioners from transitioning countries who are working to advance democratic practices and economic and legal reform in contexts where freedom, human development, and good governance are fragile or at risk. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, our program participants are selected from among hundreds of applicants every year for the significant contributions they have already made to their societies and their potential to make an even greater impact with some help from Stanford.
Location:
United StatesBenefits
- Stanford will pay for accommodations, meals, and transportation costs for the duration of the Program.
- A small travel fund is available for fellows who under no circumstances can support their travel or need to apply for a partial subsidy. Priority for accessing the travel fund will be given based on need, and destinations from which airline fares to California are exorbitant.
Eligibilities
- Applicants must be mid-career practitioners and have at least 10 to 12 years of experience to qualify for the fellowship. Those with more experience are much more competitive in the selection process.
- Candidates must be from and currently reside in a country where democracy is not well entrenched. Candidates residing outside their home country due to war or conflict may be granted exceptions. Applicants will not be accepted from countries such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, and member states of the European Union.
- Candidates must be at least 28 years of age at the start of the fellowship in July 2024. The average age of our fellows at the time of the program is 38.
- Candidates must be actively working in the field of democracy, development, and the rule of law.
- Candidates must have a solid command of written and spoken English. All program materials and sessions are in English. Participants will also be required to give a 7-minute “TED”-“-style talk during the three-week program regarding their work and motivation. English language proficiency is very important in order to benefit and contribute to the program dialogue.
Application Process
- Eligible candidates should apply through the organization’s official web portal with the necessary documents. The web portal can be accessed by clicking on the “Apply Now” button below.
Application Deadline: January 14, 2024
Application ClosedOfficial link
