U.S. Ambassador James Foley , Photo by CDC

CROATIAN-AMERICAN FOUNDATION

Awarding scholarships to Croats

The foundation was launched as a result of cooperation between the Institute for the Development of Education and the Embassy of the United States in Croatia, aiming to encourage awarding scholarships to Croatian students for their education in the United States.

- Since 1994 the education of nearly 400 Croats at the universities of the United States was organized by the U.S. Embassy. We believe that with the Foundation the number of scholarships will double which will also strengthen the cooperation between Croatia and U.S. - HE James Foley said adding that through this cooperation the U.S. also supports Croatia in confronting the challenges of entering the society of Euro-Atlantic integration countries.

Successful Croats - Fullbright scholars

He also emphasized that many successful Croats were educated in the United States as Fulbright scholars, for example, Croatian Ambassador to the U.S. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Justice Minister Ivan Šimonović and the Croatian National Bank Governor Željko Rohatinski.

The Foundation presented its first scholarship program "Fellowship for the Future" which will award full scholarships to Croatian citizens for graduate study in the United States in the areas of study relevant to the social and economic development of Croatia, and the Foundation Director Ana Budin announced that the applications for scholarships will be accepted until December 11 (info mail: abudin@iro.hr).

Among all international students in the world 20 % are studying in U.S., and the Foundation will further strengthen the academic mobility between Croatia and the United States. In the academic year 2007 / 2008 at higher education institutions in the U.S. 602 Croatian citizens studied at institutions of higher education in the United States. The top five American universities that had the largest number of Croatian students are the prestigious Harvard University, where there were twelve, followed by New York University, Columbia University, University of California - Berkeley and Yale University.

Members of the Foundation Board of Trustees are Ksenija Turković, Vice-rector of the University of Zagreb, Ivana Puljiz, Director for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Science, Robert Post, Counselor at the Embassy of the United States, Mladen Vedriš, head of the Department of Economic Affairs at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, Gavin Susman, an American investor and Foundation donor, Gordan Kožulj, swimming champion and former University of Berkeley scholar and Ninoslav Šćukanec, Executive Director of the Institute for the Development of Education.