ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine will be one of 37 U.S. universities and colleges to host emerging leaders from sub-Saharan Africa scheduled to visit the United States this summer under the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
In mid-June, 25 people ages 25-35 will come to UMaine for a six-week academic and leadership institute meant to help the participants study business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership and public management and build networks. In all, 1,000 fellows — selected for the program from more than 43,000 applicants — will visit the U.S.
Participants were picked based on their potential for directing and influencing the economies and politics of their nations and region.
“UMaine is a place where new and exciting ideas are shared each and every day, and by bringing some of the best and brightest future leaders from Africa to share their perspectives and learn from experts here in Maine, this valuable cultural exchange program will benefit everyone involved,” U.S. Sen. Angus King said in a recent news release.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship was launched in 2014 under President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative through the U.S. Department of State.
Carol Kim, UMaine’s vice president for research and dean of the graduate school, will lead the institute alongside Jonathan Rubin, an economics professor with the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, and Daniel Dixon, UMaine’s director of sustainability, according to the university.
The host sites applied through the Department of State and IREX, an international nonprofit that administers the program, to take part. UMaine will receive $150,000 for hosting the event, but the campus is required to provide a $100,000 cost-sharing match.
After the six-week program, the fellows will congregate in Washington, D.C., for a presidential summit.
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