David L. Boren is the lead author of the legislation that created the Homeland Security Education Program and Boren Award, scholarships and fellowships named after him. When the U.S. Senate argued in favor of NSEP, Bollen expressed his view that the United States needs a large number of language and cultural experts, and that the language and culture of these countries are not enough for the number of American students studying there.
As the world changes, Bollen believes that the United States will increasingly establish partnerships with other countries that need to better understand their needs and perspectives. As a U.S. Senator from 1979 to 1994, President Bollen served on the Senate Agriculture and Finance Committee and was the longest-serving chairman of the Senate Intelligence Special Committee. He served as Governor of Oklahoma from 1974 to 1978.
He is the first person in Oklahoma history to serve as a state legislator, governor, United States senator, and president of the University of Oklahoma. He graduated from Yale University, Oxford University, and the University of Oklahoma School of Law as a Rhodes Scholar. Senator Bollen is widely respected for his academic qualifications, long-term support for education, and a distinguished political career as a reformer of the American political system.
Application Criteria for Boren Fellowship in USA
Basic Eligibility:
You must respond to all of these questions in order to proceed with the application.
- U.S. Citizenship - Only U.S. citizens are eligible for the fellowship.
- Level of graduate study as of application deadline – Select the graduate degree you are currently pursuing. If you are not yet enrolled, select that option.
- I will be a matriculated in a graduate degree program at a U.S. college or university as of the Boren Fellowships start date – You will have to be a matriculated graduate student at the time your Boren-funded study begins in order to be eligible.
- Current Institution as of Application Deadline – Choose your current U.S. graduate institution. (If you said that you are not currently enrolled, this question will not appear.)
- Proposed Country of Study – Choose a country of study at this time. You may return to change it later.
- Are you a citizen of this country? - Boren recipients may not study overseas in a country in which they are a citizen.
- Proposed Language – Choose your language of study at this time. You may return to change it later.
Educational Background:
Institution – Enter the level of study (Undergraduate or Graduate), degree type, date attended from, date of expected degree, major (+ double major and minor if applicable), GPA, and the maximum possible GPA at your institution. Note: the “Date/Expected Date Attended to” field for your current institution should be after the completion of your Boren-funded program.
Institution Location – Enter the country, city, state, and zip code for the listed institution.
You also need to write two essays:
- Study Plan Title, Abstract, and Methodology – Boren Fellows conducting research are encouraged to use this space to describe their research -- see further guidelines.
- The application includes two essays. The first is 800 words and the second is 1000 words maximum. Review the extensive essay guidelines to increase your chances of success.
Study Plan:
- Your Study Abroad Country and Proposed Language will be auto-populated from the Eligibility and Basic Information page. You must return to that page if you wish to change either.
- Study Plan Summary – Give a brief description (abstract) of your study and research plan, including language study. This is a shorthand summary that should match the longer description in Essay Two.
- Additional Country and Additional Language (if relevant) – Please note that Boren Fellows to multiple countries or for multiple languages are extremely rare and must be well-justified by specific research goals.
- Type of Overseas Program – Language study is the only required element, so please be sure to check that box at least.
- Proposed Overseas Affiliation Type – Select the option(s) that best describe your overseas host(s).
- Primary Proposed Overseas Affiliation Name – Choose the name of the primary overseas host institution from the drop-down menu. If your sponsor is not listed, just enter the most accurate name for the overseas host.
- Other or Additional Proposed Overseas Affiliation(s) – List the names of all other overseas affiliate institutions, such as internship hosts or other academic institutions.
- Letter of Affiliation – Upload letter(s) from overseas host institutions, especially those related to major research projects. You may include multiple letters of affiliation but will need to combine them into a single PDF document.
Eligible Nationalities for Boren Fellowship in USA
Only U.S. citizens are eligible for the fellowship