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Main Page » 2000 » October

Scholarship Resources compiled by SVU volunteers

USEFUL WEBSITES

SELECTED FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS

  • Visiting Fellowship in Religion, Human Rights and Religious Freedom

Fields of study: International Relations and Affairs, Juridical Science/Legal Specialisation, Law and Legal Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Religion, Religious Studies
Level: Professional
Contact: Lili Cole, Program Coordinator, Center for the Study of Human Rights, 1108 International Affairs Building, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, Tel.: (212) 854-7189, Fax: (212) 854-6785, E-mail: eac30@columbia.edu

  • International Rule of Law Fellowship

Fields of study: International Relations and Affairs, Law and Legal Studies
Level: Graduate/Postgraduate
Contact: Jahna Hartwig or Shehernaz Joshi, Executive Coordinators, George Washington Law School, 720 20th Street NW, Washington DC 20052, Tel.: (202) 994-7242, Fax: (202) 994-9446, E-mail: jhartwig@main.nlc.gwu.edu

  • Eastern European Visiting Scholars Program

Fields of study: Biological Sciences/Life Sciences, Law and Legal Studies, Medicine, Philosophy, Social Science, Theology/Theological Studies|
Level: Graduate/Postgraduate/Postdoctoral
Contact: Director of Education, Hastings Center, 255 Elm Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510, Tel.: (914) 762-8500, Fax: (914) 762-2124

  • Short-Term Travel

Fields of study: Eastern European Area Studies, Humanities/Humanistic Studies, Social Sciences
Eligibility: Postdoctoral/Professional
Contact: Program Officer, IREX, 1616 H Street NW, Washington DC 20006, Tel.: (202) 628-8188, Fax: (202) 628-8189, E-mail: irex@info.irex.org

  • Central and Eastern European Fellowships

Fields of study: Art History and Criticism
Eligibility: Postdoctoral/Professional
Contact: Joan Weinstein, Getty Grant Program, 401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1000, Santa Monica CA 90401-1455, Tel.: (310) 393-4244, Fax: (310) 395-8642

  • Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship Program

Fields of study: Business; Economics, Law and Legal Studies, Public Administration
Eligibility: Graduate/Postgraduate
Contact: IIE, IREX, Soros Foundation/Open Society Institute

  • Virtual University Exchange Program

Fields of study: American Studies/Civilization, Economics, History, Political Science and Government, Sociology
Eligibility: Undergraduate/Graduate/Postgraduate
Contact: Virtual University Program, 888 Seventh Av., 31st Floor, New York, NY 10106, Tel.: (212) 887-0175, Fax: (212) 757-2329

  • Ruth Crawford Mitchell Fellowship

Fields of study: Business, Information Sciences and Systems, Political Science and Government, Public Administration, Sociology
Eligibility: Graduate/Postgraduate/Professional
Contact: Center for Russian & East European Studies, 4G12 Forbes Quandrangle, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 15260, Tel.: (412) 648-7407, Fax: (412) 648-2199, E-mail: tsarpepe@vms.cis.pitt.edu

What is SVU

Most scholars of the Central European region now readily recognize the acronym SVU which in Czech and Slovak languages stands for Společnost pro vědy a umění, a Society of Arts and Sciences. Since its inception in 1958, the SVU has grown into a respected international organization with local chapters in major cities around the world. Although the Society until recently functioned almost exclusively in the West, ever since the peaceful 1989 Velvet revolution, it has expanded its activities to Czechoslovakia and its succession states, the Czech and the Slovak Republics.

The SVU is a nonprofit, nonpolitical, cultural organization, dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, the free dissemination of ideas, and the fostering of contacts among people. It brings together scholars, scientists, artists, writers, students, lawyers, businessmen, and others throughout the world who have a professional, family or other interest in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, their history, peoples, or their cultural and intellectual contributions.

SVU Mission Statement

The SVU is an independent non-profit international cultural organization dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, the free dissemination of ideas, and the fostering of contact among people. It brings together scholars, scientists, artists, writers, students, lawyers, businessmen and others, throughout the world who have, because of their ethnic background or professional calling, have an interest in the Czech Republic and/ or Slovakia, their histories, peoples or their cultural and intellectual contributions.

OUR AIMS AND GOALS

1. To enhance and promote Czech and Slovak culture worldwide
a. by organizing meetings, public lectures, conferences, seminars, workshops etc.
b. by sponsoring concerts, exhibits and other cultural events
c. by publicizing Czech and Slovak related cultural events
d. by publishing scholarly, educational and literary works and works of art and the issuance of periodicals or other publications
e. by compiling bibliographies of selected publications and other information briefs
f. by establishing a documentary center
g. by maintaining liaison with cultural institutions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and their counterparts abroad
h. by cooperating with similar organizations on joint activities

2. To coordinate and assist with the work of SVU members
a by periodically reporting on their activities in its newsletter
b. by enabling members to present results of their work and research at its world congresses, annual conferences etc.
c. by preparing biographical directories of members with the listing of their accomplishments.
d. by establishing a clearinghouse regarding members’ interests and their expertise
e. by providing its members advice and contact though its extensive worldwide network.

3. To foster cooperation between scientists, artists, and other professionals, as well as with cultural institutions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and those abroad
a. by maintaining liaison with major cultural institutions in the Czech and Slovak Republics and their counterparts abroad
b. by keeping track of study and research opportunities worldwide
c. by providing advice on the art of “grantsmanship”
d. by preparing specific study and research guides
e. by assisting with joint projects

4. To assist with the preservation of Czech and Slovak cultural heritage abroad
a. by mapping historical sites relating to Czechs and Slovaks abroad
b. by surveying archival material relating to Czechs and Slovaks abroad
c. by fostering studies and research on Czechs and Slovaks abroad
d. by arranging conferences, seminars and workshops with the focus on Czechs and Slovaks abroad
e. by sponsoring relevant publications
f. by maintaining liaison with other organizations with similar aims

Future Perspectives

Since the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1989, the Society has been instrumental in assisting the fledgling democracies in reestablishing the normal functions of a free society, through material assistance, lectures, seminars, and workshops, and most of all, through the personal expertise and experience of its members. This emphasis will continue in the future.

The Society also recognizes, however, its obligations toward Czech and Slovak emigrants, as well as members of other ethnic groups who migrated from the territory of the former Czechoslovakia, and is committed to supporting certain activities for the preservation of their cultural heritage and the fostering of their cultural contacts with the Czechlands and Slovakia.

Above all, the Society is interested in encouraging young people, whether they are Czech and Slovak students who want to enhance their educational opportunities abroad, or foreign students and professionals interested in Czech and/or Slovak culture.

Historical Background

The Society was officially organized in 1958, at the initiative of Czech and Slovak intellectuals living abroad, at a time when the communist regime in Czechoslovakia had repudiated the country’s historical traditions and suppressed free expression. The SVU wanted to provide a forum for the free development of Czechoslovak culture in exile and make the world aware of the Czech and Slovak cultural traditions, which date back more than a millennium.

Its activities, as outlined in the original bylaws, consisted of supporting and coordinating the educational, scholarly, literary and artistic endeavors of the Czechoslovak intelligentsia abroad. However, the Society was subsequently broadened into an organization open to all individuals, regardless of ethnic origin, interested in fostering Czech and/or Slovak culture.

Following the end of the communist regime in 1989, the SVU’s functions greatly expanded. Now, in addition to its original mission, the Society has become a bridge between Czech and Slovak professionals and those in other countries. It allows scholars abroad to benefit from contact with their Czech and Slovak colleagues, as well as helping to reintegrate the intellectual life of these two nations into the main stream of world science, arts and letters, from which they were separated for so long by political barriers.

Společnost pro vědy a umění (SVU) – základní informace

Společnost pro vědy a umění (SVU) je nezisková mezinárodní kulturní organizace registrovaná v USA pod oficiálním názvem Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences. Sdružuje vědce, pedagogy, umělce, spisovatele a další profesionály na celém světě, které spojuje osobní, rodinný nebo profesní zájem o Českou republiku a Slovensko, jejich národy, historii, kulturu a ekonomiku.

Společnost pro vědy a umění založili v roce 1958 ve Washingtonu D.C. čeští a slovenští intelektuálové žijící v zahraničí, kteří byli nuceni opustit rodnou zemi po násilném komunistickém převratu v Československu v roce 1948.

O historii SVU pojednávají články v angličtině v rubrice HISTORY na adrese http://www.svu2000.org/category/about/history/

V roce 2008 vyšla v USA monumentální publikace On behalf of Their Homeland: Fifty Years of SVU z pera Dr. Miloslava Rechcígla mladšího, jednoho ze zakladatelů a dlouholetého předsedy SVU. Její český překlad pod titulem Pro vlast: padesát let SVU vydá nakladatelství ACADEMIA v edici Paměť.

Internetová adresa centrály SVU je: http://www.svu2000.org/

Kontakty a webové stránky místních skupin SVU ve světě jsou k dispozici na adrese: http://www.svu2000.org/local-chapters/