Call for Applications: Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program (HSAFP) 2024 for Mid- Career Professionals

Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program (HSAFP) Overview

Harvard University President Derek Bok established the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program in 1979 to address the needs of South Africans denied access to advanced education by the apartheid system. The creation of this program was a direct response to the strong movement by Harvard students and faculty during the divestment campaigns of the 1970s. The Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program continues to serve as an intellectual resource for talented South Africans, with the goal of providing a “transformational experience” at Harvard University during the fellowship year.

The program was established, and is still intended, for mid-career professionals educationally disadvantaged by past laws and resource allocations in South Africa. Today, HSAFP seeks to expand its reach to institutions and organizations across South Africa in a continued effort to draw the broadest possible range of candidates for the program. 

The program is open to all South Africans who qualify. Priority will be extended to mid-career applicants from historically marginalized or underrepresented groups, including applicants from rural areas outside urban centers. In addition, the University – reflecting the current South African constitution – has expanded its applicant pool to extend to all South Africans, regardless of ethnicity or race. Ideal candidates are those who seek to model ethical leadership, knowledge sharing, and serve as a resource to improve and transform their communities and South Africa. Applicants whose interest in the program is only in seeking an advanced degree or professional certification to advance their own career interests are not ideal candidates. Alumni of the program are expected to remain involved after the completion of their fellowship and serve as ambassadors for the fellowship.

Fellowships are for up to one year of study in one of Harvard’s Professional Schools or Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, with tuition provided by the participating School. General administrative funds for program management, stipends, and airfare for the fellows are provided by the Office of the President and administered by the Center for African Studies under the directorship of Professor John Mugane. The recruitment and selection interviews for the HSAFP fellows take place annually with the support of the Center for African Studies’ Africa Office in Johannesburg.

Fellowships have been awarded to men and women with careers spanning education, law, public health, the arts and humanities, business and the private sector, and a host of other professions and disciplines. Through their presence in Harvard’s classrooms, seminars, research initiatives, and conferences, HSAFP fellows have introduced knowledge and perspectives to the Harvard campus, the significance of which goes well beyond numbers and publications. Upon their return to South Africa, many of the HSAFP fellows have gone on to play prominent roles in their nation and local communities while remaining engaged with the Harvard community in Cambridge, Africa, and beyond.

APPLICATION

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Candidates will be asked to enter biographical information.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Candidates will be asked to enter contact information.

EDUCATION HISTORY

• Candidates will be asked to select a proposed course of study at Harvard University.
• Candidates will be asked to enter academic/leadership/professional honors and detail any work or study completed outside South Africa.
• Candidates will be asked to enter their education history, including name and location of institution, dates of attendance and degree, and field of study.

HSAFP ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION PROCESS

HSAFP was established to provide educational enrichment for educationally disadvantaged South African midcareer professionals. Individuals who have shown considerable skill in their chosen fields stand to benefit from advanced training, and, it is hoped, can use that advanced training to further South African political, social, and economic progress. Thus, candidates who have just completed, or who have not yet completed, a first degree are not selected unless this degree is being pursued concurrently with, or subsequent to, experience in the workplace. Fellows usually range from 30- to 45-years-old, but there is no age requirement or limit.

ELIGIBILITY

• The program is open to all South Africans who qualify. Priority will be extended to mid-career applicants from historically marginalized or underrepresented groups, including applicants from rural areas outside urban centers.
• HSAFP seeks to expand its reach to institutions and organizations across South Africa in a continued effort to draw the broadest possible range of candidates for the program. In addition, the University reflecting the current South African constitution has expanded its applicant pool to extend to all South Africans, regardless of ethnicity or race.
• Ideal candidates are those who seek to model ethical leadership, knowledge sharing, and serve as a resource to improve and transform their communities and South Africa.
• Applicants whose interest in the program is only in seeking an advanced degree or professional certification to advance their own career interests are not ideal candidates.
• Alumni of the program are expected to remain involved after the completion of their fellowship and serve as ambassadors for the fellowship.

Fellowship applications are submitted directly to the Center for African Studies, and a committee of HSAFP alumni, Harvard University faculty, and Center staff interview short-listed applicants in South Africa. Successful candidates must then apply and be admitted to the specific Harvard school where they intend to study. Admission to any Harvard program, including for HSAFP finalists, remains solely within the authority of the Admissions Committee of each Harvard school or program—not with the Center for African Studies.

Applicants must determine well in advance whether, if awarded a fellowship, they can be granted leave by their employers to study at Harvard for the duration of their intended program dates. Most graduate programs run from August until May; however, some programs require fellows to begin residence as early as the end of June. Executive education programs at Harvard Business School can require a mix of both on-campus and off-campus modules over the course of several months. No candidate should accept an interview unless they have been assured that such leave will be granted.

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