Fulbright-Hays DDRA 2010-2011

[igotmeanewname]

Laobaixing, have you heard that they have identified specific cuts? It's actually unclear from what I've read in articles shared by Lisarog and others how the cuts in higher education will be distributed. No specific cuts to FB Hays were actually mandated by law. See this link, posted by others previously:My linkhttp://www.nhalliance.org/news/white-house-congress-reach-deal-on-fy-2011-funding~print.shtml

Here is the relevant text:

"The FY 2011 levels for NEH and NHPRC are specified in the text of the legislation. However, in many instances, the only confirmation of a reduction comes from a list posted Tuesday by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rodgers (R/KY). This is true of the Title VI and Teaching American History programs, which are both sub-accounts within the Department of Education. Federal agencies will have thirty days, following enactment of the bill, to report back to Congress with a plan to implement revised FY11 spending levels, and will generally have broad discretion in allocating funds."

As I understand it, that's why it's so important to write letters to Congress and DoE. It might actually help.

laska, i think that this one is more relevant to our questions: http://chronicle.com/article/Language-and/127122/

And the relevant text says:

"International-education advocates are raising objections to reductions in programs authorized under two federal laws, Title VI of the Higher Education Act and the Fulbright-Hays Act. The budget deal, which would finance federal agencies until the end of September, would slash funds for these Department of Education programs by 40 percent, or $50-million, reducing their allocation to $76-million."

But it goes on to say that these programs cover a lot of ground, so who knows where the cuts will come.

It's a bit disheartening that the latest "real" news came out on April 13. It seems that someone, maybe, would think that it might be nice to trickle down the info.

[spinnergal]

Not to suggest that any of us might possibly not get funded this round but, has anyone heard anything about the long term funding? Are these cuts for this year, or are they supposed to be the new funding level (until it gets changed again, anyway)?

[igotmeanewname]

Not to suggest that any of us might possibly not get funded this round but, has anyone heard anything about the long term funding? Are these cuts for this year, or are they supposed to be the new funding level (until it gets changed again, anyway)?

how i understand it (and i might be wrong, so it would be great if someone else could confirm), the fb hays budget is decided on a yearly basis. fellowship decisions are made based on an assumption that the budget will be the same as the year prior.

now that i've written this, it seems a very unpractical way of operating a fellowship selection process. maybe we've been misinformed ...

[LisaRog]

Not to get anyones hopes up or anything, but there is a lot of conflictual information out there.

The comments form on the UCSD Funding Blog, for instance, seem to imply that this years budget for FB-Hays will not be effected by the budget cut. (check out: http://ucsdgraduatefunding.wordpress.com/2010/10/14/fulbright-hays-internal-deadline-reminder-and-human-subjects-narrative-tips/#comment-183)

Here's the exact quote from the comments:

Someone asked about this in another post, and from what my contact at F-Hays has said, the budget for 2011-2012 will not be cut.

Last year, the funding announcements came out at the end of April, so if they follow the same timeline, announcements should be made within the next few weeks.

Best of luck!

also this quote:

i suspect there’s a lot of worry about the budget for upcoming years, which is why they’re trying to take action now. but for this upcoming year (according to the Hays Program Officer), funding *should* be okay…

so, which knows what this means....

[igotmeanewname]

i'm rooting for your info to be right, LisaRog. i like that much better.

[Myshkin2011]

that's good news, Lisarog.

again, as i understand it, the only thing written into law are significant general cuts ($348 m?) to higher education. there is certainly nothing in the law about specific cuts to Title VI/Fulbright-Hays.

i'm rooting for your info to be right, LisaRog. i like that much better.

[Ecualung]

Hey all, just joined this forum, mostly to vent about my neuroses.

I'm an alternate for the Fulbright IIE and an applicant for the F-H DDRA. The waiting is just KILLING me, and it's made worse by my personal situation. I'm going through a divorce, which means I need to find a new place to live. Nice apartments get snapped up really quickly around here, so I really want to sign a lease on a place (which I'm going to do tomorrow). But there's still the chance that I'll get one of these grants, which means I'll be in a sticky situation vis-a-vis my lease. Perhaps I can find a sublet, or beg to be let out of the lease (which starts August 1st). This wouldn't be an issue if I weren't getting divorced, because I could continue living in the house my wife's parents own.

Sorry-- don't mean to through a self-pity party. I'm just one of the countless examples of how this very late notification makes people's lives very difficult to plan.

Good luck to all of you!

[jenali]

Hey all, just joined this forum, mostly to vent about my neuroses.

I'm an alternate for the Fulbright IIE and an applicant for the F-H DDRA. The waiting is just KILLING me, and it's made worse by my personal situation. I'm going through a divorce, which means I need to find a new place to live. Nice apartments get snapped up really quickly around here, so I really want to sign a lease on a place (which I'm going to do tomorrow). But there's still the chance that I'll get one of these grants, which means I'll be in a sticky situation vis-a-vis my lease. Perhaps I can find a sublet, or beg to be let out of the lease (which starts August 1st). This wouldn't be an issue if I weren't getting divorced, because I could continue living in the house my wife's parents own.

Sorry-- don't mean to through a self-pity party. I'm just one of the countless examples of how this very late notification makes people's lives very difficult to plan.

Good luck to all of you!

Feel you there. I'm currently out of the country in a first research phase and need to commit to how long I'll be here and exactly when I'll go back to the US to deal with university administrative stuff and see parents (not in the same city, either). (I can't even check my email consistently, so ... gulp.)

We're all in the same boat. So much good luck and sympathy to you - going through major life changes is sucky at the best of times, and when you're trying to make decisions contingent on information you don't have ... argh. Can you sublet for a month to buy some time?

Hugs all around, and good luck all around.

[Ecualung]

Feel you there. I'm currently out of the country in a first research phase and need to commit to how long I'll be here and exactly when I'll go back to the US to deal with university administrative stuff and see parents (not in the same city, either). (I can't even check my email consistently, so ... gulp.)

We're all in the same boat. So much good luck and sympathy to you - going through major life changes is sucky at the best of times, and when you're trying to make decisions contingent on information you don't have ... argh. Can you sublet for a month to buy some time?

Hugs all around, and good luck all around.

Thanks. I'm actually going to make a short research trip this summer, too. I scheduled it assuming that I wouldn't receive any grant, so I could at least make some progress toward my degree this year. There will be a whole other headache if I learn that I received a grant while I'm already abroad-- I would probably have to come back early so I can get my passport, medical forms, etc, in order. However, I'm not going abroad until June 13, so I would think that by then I would have all the information.

[thelongwait]

apparently the FB people met this week to discuss budgets. my grad co-ord said they didn't give a time frame for announcing decisions, but hopefully "by the end of the month." not anything new, i know, but just thought i'd put it across.

it's so very frustrating. so many other decisions are pending because of this one.

[Myshkin2011]

Thanks for the info. That makes sense, but suggests to me that there may be budget cuts. If they had just decided "no cuts," then we should probably have heard already. However, I'm still optimistic, partly because of what Lisarog posted. It's still quite possible that the budget was not cut significantly but for administrative reasons it takes a long time to sort out exactly how many grants they can give after such a late budget. They probably have to wait until the report to Congress by the May 15 deadline to make any firm decisions. So the earliest we could hear is the end of next week, but I'm now banking on the end of the month.

apparently the FB people met this week to discuss budgets. my grad co-ord said they didn't give a time frame for announcing decisions, but hopefully "by the end of the month." not anything new, i know, but just thought i'd put it across.

it's so very frustrating. so many other decisions are pending because of this one.

[spinnergal]

I am sorry, I just need a second to vent:

I am so frustrated. I am writing up a new proposal to use in my next round of funding applications, and I think it is much better than the last one. But there is a little piece of me that keeps saying "what if you get the Fulbright Hays, this will all be wasted work." The rest of me answers "shut up, I am not getting it, please stop wasting time and effort making me hope for it." Its not a big deal, just another little something to keep me from getting motivated about repeating this stressful cycle all over again.

And yes, I am talking to myself - this is what applying for dissertation funding has done to me.

Edited May 16, 2011 by spinnergal

[LisaRog]

i know how you feel... on the plus side, though, this board (and all of y'all) have really been like group therapy for me. i think i'd be going crazy about now otherwise!

I am sorry, I just need a second to vent:

I am so frustrated. I am writing up a new proposal to use in my next round of funding applications, and I think it is much better than the last one. But there is a little piece of me that keeps saying "what if you get the Fulbright Hays, this will all be wasted work." The rest of me answers "shut up, I am not getting it, please stop wasting time and effort making me hope for it." Its not a big deal, just another little something to keep me from getting motivated about repeating this stressful cycle all over again.

And yes, I am talking to myself - this is what applying for dissertation funding has done to me.

[celavoy]

I am sorry, I just need a second to vent:

I am so frustrated. I am writing up a new proposal to use in my next round of funding applications, and I think it is much better than the last one. But there is a little piece of me that keeps saying "what if you get the Fulbright Hays, this will all be wasted work." The rest of me answers "shut up, I am not getting it, please stop wasting time and effort making me hope for it." Its not a big deal, just another little something to keep me from getting motivated about repeating this stressful cycle all over again.

And yes, I am talking to myself - this is what applying for dissertation funding has done to me.

I understand your frustration. That was me last year. I applied for three years and finally got the Fulbright IIE this year, so I'm less stressed, but last year and the year before, I was doing the same thing, re-writing and guessing what could possibly be wrong. This year, I applied to 7 grants and was finally decided if I didn't get anything I was done. It happens when it's meant to happen, when I look back on my previous years' applications, they were not nearly as good as this years'. However, I still want to know about the F-H because a reviewer contacted one of my recommenders and said it was good (plus, it would be more money for my research). Good luck to you!

[nescafe]

My country is in the midst of a popular revolution at the moment--- Fulbright IIE has basically shut down their program there and, although I haven't heard yet, I am completely and 100 % expecting a rejection from F-H.

Hmph... which fight bodes worse for those who study the MENA; what's happening in DC or what's happening in Dara'a? Not that I would ask anyone to forestall political change for the sake of my dissertation, but geez I've got some sense of timing.

vent over.

Edited May 17, 2011 by nescafe

[LisaRog]

if it makes you feel any better, two of my friends had just started their research in Egypt when the revolution began, and because they were on a fulbright iie/boren fellowships the state department made them evacuate and hasn't let them go back since... yay for revolutions, but boo for research being thrown into upheaval. anyway, i'ma fellow MENA person, so we'll see what they do with us this year...

My country is in the midst of a popular revolution at the moment--- Fulbright IIE has basically shut down their program there and, although I haven't heard yet, I am completely and 100 % expecting a rejection from F-H.

Hmph... which fight bodes worse for those who study the MENA; what's happening in DC or what's happening in Dara'a? Not that I would ask anyone to forestall political change for the sake of my dissertation, but geez I've got some sense of timing.

vent over.

[shasha]

My Fulbright coordinator forwarded us this exchange today, which he had with Amy Wilson from the dept of Ed:

"Do you yet have any good idea of (1) what sort of cuts US/ED is proposing for the FY2011 DDRA program, and (2) when we might expect to hear who did or didn’t receive a DDRA award?"

Her response, sent 3 minutes later:

"No final decisions have been made yet. We hope to make an announcement soon."

GREAT. This tells us ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!! I also feel like I can't possibly plan the next few months of my life until I know about this thing. Suckiness.

[celavoy]

My Fulbright coordinator forwarded us this exchange today, which he had with Amy Wilson from the dept of Ed:

"Do you yet have any good idea of (1) what sort of cuts US/ED is proposing for the FY2011 DDRA program, and (2) when we might expect to hear who did or didn’t receive a DDRA award?"

Her response, sent 3 minutes later:

"No final decisions have been made yet. We hope to make an announcement soon."

GREAT. This tells us ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!! I also feel like I can't possibly plan the next few months of my life until I know about this thing. Suckiness.

Well, I asked to start in September, so maybe by then I'll know.

[MidwestLove]

Does anyone have the impression that the delay of the F-H announcement is creating a sort of fellowship bottleneck? I'm also an alternate for another grant, and I haven't heard anything (only the too familiar assurances that they will let me know at an allusive "next week" or, worst yet, "soon") for some 6 weeks. My guess is that the students who were awarded this grant are holding on to it until news from the F-H. Any thoughts on this? Has anyone had experience with the prolonged alternate status? I have to admit, however, that I agree with some earlier posts: I'm treading this cycle as a loss and have started revising proposals for the next year

[Ofur]

Does anyone have the impression that the delay of the F-H announcement is creating a sort of fellowship bottleneck? I'm also an alternate for another grant, and I haven't heard anything (only the too familiar assurances that they will let me know at an allusive "next week" or, worst yet, "soon") for some 6 weeks. My guess is that the students who were awarded this grant are holding on to it until news from the F-H. Any thoughts on this? Has anyone had experience with the prolonged alternate status? I have to admit, however, that I agree with some earlier posts: I'm treading this cycle as a loss and have started revising proposals for the next year

No doubt friend. I got the Fulbright IIE and am waiting to hear about the Fulbright-Hays before I accept or decline the IIE. Sorry to confirm this, but at least you know that there's a good chance some of the grants will open up for alternates once the F-H is announced.

[jenali]

If I could at least check my email on a regular basis this would make me feel slightly less insane.

I basically went ahead and made plans. In the worst case I'll spend all my savings. Which sucks, because it would've been nice to graduate with a few thousand dollars squirreled away ... or, you know, to move back to the US with a few thousand bucks to get me through that last year or two. But we can't have everything.

[jenali]

If I could at least check my email on a regular basis this would make me feel slightly less insane.

I basically went ahead and made plans. In the worst case I'll spend all my savings. Which sucks, because it would've been nice to graduate with a few thousand dollars squirreled away ... or, you know, to move back to the US with a few thousand bucks to get me through that last year or two. But we can't have everything.

Yeah, I realize not everyone has the luxury of having anything saved and I shouldn't whine about it. But it took a long time to save all that. ;-)

[giru618]

I have this experience, and it is driving me crazy! I am a the number one alternate for another grant, and am waiting on needles and pins to see if the two people waiting on F-H are awarded the F-H, allowing me to take the grant I want so much! I've been delayed and delayed for over 2 months now! It is just so darn hard to plan!

Does anyone have the impression that the delay of the F-H announcement is creating a sort of fellowship bottleneck? I'm also an alternate for another grant, and I haven't heard anything (only the too familiar assurances that they will let me know at an allusive "next week" or, worst yet, "soon") for some 6 weeks. My guess is that the students who were awarded this grant are holding on to it until news from the F-H. Any thoughts on this? Has anyone had experience with the prolonged alternate status? I have to admit, however, that I agree with some earlier posts: I'm treading this cycle as a loss and have started revising proposals for the next year

[MidwestLove]

Thanks, it's slightly reassuring to know F-H awards might open up fellowships from other grants, so thanks for your input Ofur and giru618. I have been loosing hope about my alternate place, but it's probably just as frozen at this point as the F-H announcements? Perhaps it's the long anticipation of the F-H, but it seems that it might set of a domino effect: someone will get the F-H and decline another grant, that other grant is awarded to a second person who them declines their department funding, then a third student...

[olympia]

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpsddrap/applicant.html