International Scholarships in Higher Education by Joan R. Dassin Robin R. Marsh & Matt Mawer

Author:Joan R. Dassin, Robin R. Marsh & Matt Mawer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

10.5 Common Challenges, Possible Solutions

What we now need to consider are the realities of program design and implementation, staying cognizant that some of the more attractive features described above exist within specific and well-resourced environments, and are preceded by recruitment , selection, and placement practices that may or may not be available throughout the landscape of international scholarship schemes. Programs and donors frequently allocate resources with a difficult choice in mind: adding more programming may mean supporting fewer individuals. This is a tough dilemma, particularly for programs extending awards into politically and economically constrained communities where simply helping people ‘get out’ is a compelling imperative. Yet perhaps ‘more’ programming isn’t the answer so much as ‘different’ programming . For instance, most comprehensive international scholarship programs (meaning, those that offer enhancements beyond funding travel, stipend, and university fees ) already allocate resources to events or gatherings whose content could be supplemented by if not recalibrated towards ‘what’s next?’ discussions. Given the pertinence of cultivating good decision-making and transition skills for grantees early on in their studies, orientation programs are a natural moment to begin conversations about the non-academic challenges that lie ahead and available resources to draw on. University site visits by program staff, grantee conferences, and any skills-oriented workshops are also logical contexts for similar discussions.

In addition to financial cost, consideration of human resources is unavoidable. Administering international scholarship programs is already labor-intensive, and adding new elements to program design and implementation requires staff time, attention, and follow through, as well as quality staff training. Here the Gates-Cambridge and Rhodes Scholars models offer possible solutions: One, work with host university partners to see if existing resources on-campus could be applied to preparing grantees for post-study transition (see Baxter, Chap. 7, this volume) and, two, explore what the grantees themselves can bring to the table; peer-to-peer learning empowers the grantees to think of themselves as resource leaders and encourages them to collaboratively identify the questions and issues most relevant to their needs. The latter model does not necessarily depend on having a certain number of grantees clustered at one host; one could imagine regional peer groups communicating online that would work as well, especially if the grantees within the designated region have had previous face-to-face meetings earlier in their program. That noted, further research on the added value of enhancements, generally for developing the inter-personal skills, know-how, networks , mentors, and work experience necessary to ease post-graduation transition is needed to convince scholarship program leaders to increase investment in post-study options.

Outside of staff- or grantee-led reflective discussion, other academic and non-academic experiences could also help grantees confront ambiguous and difficult choices with managed expectations if not full confidence. Recent discourse related to cognitive behavior (Holmes 2015) suggests that exposure to the unfamiliar and dislocation from home community bolster mental capacity not only for tolerance, but also for creativity. Within social change agendas, creative problem-solving is clearly a quality we value highly and expect rigorous academic study in alternative environments to produce.

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