FormerSoviet

@ Olympia: Yes they would probably encourage that. I had a regular Fulbright grant last year, and as far as I can tell from the paperwork, the IIE insurance works exactly the same way as the Fulbright insurance. The supplement they provide is good, but basically what it promises to cover are any additional costs that your regular insurance won't pay. I also think that it provides evacuation and some prescription coverage, but the bureaucracy is complicated. You should talk to Pam Jennings about the specifics. Hopefully they will send us more information...

Hi Everyone! Congratulations on the IIE/Mellon! After all we went through with Fulbright-Hays, this is exciting news. Like most of the people who have posted here, I too am dealing with a series of complications due to the late announcement. In any case, I just wanted to see if anyone else besides myself and Twister will be in Russia?

For those interested in writing to Arne Duncan, it does not seem like the DoE publishes an email address, phone, or fax for his office in the same manner that this information is published for someone like Obama. So it looks like we will have to rely on the US Mail. There is a very general address on the DoE website, but the grassroots organization "Kids Together, Inc," which lobbies for children with disabilities, offers a more specific address: Arne Duncan U.S. Secretary of Education Room 7W301 FOB-6 400 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20202 I have also been encouraging other scholars, friends, family, and just about everyone I know to write. I do not think it could hurt to ask permission to circulate this to the graduate fellowship listservs at our various universities. Thank you everyone and good luck!

An idea: Assuming the budget with all it's hurtful Title VI/Fulbright-Hays cuts does get the final seal of approval in the next few hours, as most of us seem to think that it will, and the DoE, as the federal agency in question, does end up with all the discretion, perhaps then what we should all do is fire off some letters to Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, personally? Even if he isn't involved directly in the initial discussions and debates about how the cuts will be made, his signature will probably be mandatory on the finalized documents that are submitted to Congress. I just read his most recent position international education and language learning, which is posted on the DoE website. There he makes more than one reference to the importance of language learning and "smart power." I'm definitely going to use both in the letter I write...Thirty days is a lot of time for them to haggle: we could have an impact.

First off let me echo a few others and say that these cuts are terrible and shocking news, given that during all those months of congressional negotiations, Fulbright-Hays kept emerging unscathed. I had such misplaced hopes... In any case, I have this news from my university's fellowships department: Our director called the DoE this morning, at the request of several panicked graduate students, myself included. He was told by either Amy Wilson or one of her colleagues on the DDRA staff that "They recognize that this year's announce date is later than last years. They apologize. They anticipate an announcement in May." Our director asked is she could be more specific, and she said they only thing she could say was "in May." On the one hand this makes it sound like the program is still a bit up in the air, but on the other hand, it has not yet been outright canceled. Re: The clear text posted on the National Humanities Alliance site, I understand it to mean that Title VI/Fulbright-Hays have been funded (as opposed to canceled outright), but that the DoE gets to have the final say, as it prepares its budget revisions based on the latest congressional decree, on how much, if any funding, DDRA will receive. It all depends on what their priorities are and where they decide to cut. It seems like it could go either way at this point; at best it will be unaffected and at worst...I'm not sure if how to read Ms. Wilson's stalwart "in May" responses.