PRESIDENT NESTOR KIRCHNER FELLOWSHIP TO FOSTER NEW SOUTH AMERICAN LEADERSHIP, PRESENTED BY THE NEW SCHOOL AND ARGENTINA'S UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE SAN MARTÍN

Fellowship Welcomes Young South American Leaders to The New School for Advanced Public Policy Education Honoring The Late Nestor Kirchner, Former President of Argentina and Secretary of UNASUR

President Nestor Kirchner spoke at The New School in 2010 (photo: Amanda Goodgoll)

NEW YORK, April 21, 2011—The New School's Observatory on Latin America (OLA), together with the National University of San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina, announces the establishment of the President Nestor Kirchner Fellowship, designed to cultivate a new generation of South American political and community leaders. The fellowship, which reflects The New School's graduate program in International Affairs' unique commitment to South American politics and social issues, honors Nestor Kirchner, the former president of Argentina and secretary of the Union of South American Countries (UNASUR), who died on October 27, 2010.

"With the establishment of the fellowship, President Kirchner would have been satisfied and proud to see his political and government efforts continued through new generations, the same generations who mourned his passing," said Ambassador Jorge Arguello at the Argentine UN Mission. "This fellowship will help create South America's next generation of leaders, who will work together to realize Kirchner's vision for the continent."

The fellowship will bring young South American leaders with experience in both academia and public service to The New School for two weeks each semester during the 2011-2013 academic years. Each Kirchner Fellow will attend seminars and deliver a public lecture at The New School. Fellows will also engage in other exchange opportunities, such as meeting with local academic, government and community leaders. Fellowships will be awarded to Argentine applicants, and applicants from other South American countries on alternating semesters. An international jury of academics and public figures from South America and the United States will review applications and select the fellows.

"The Kirchner Fellowship is a modest indicator of the high esteem which members of the New School community—students, faculty, administration, and Trustees—had for the late President Nestor Kirchner," said Michael Cohen, Director, OLA and the graduate program in International Affairs at The New School. "OLA, established in 2007 by the University Board of Trustees, has deeply valued its friendly relationship with this South American leader of great vision and determination, a man who challenged orthodox thinking when he led Argentina out of the 2001 economic crisis with a recovery built on the principles of social justice."

The public announcement of the fellowship took place on April 20 in Argentina at Buenos Aires' Casa Patria Grande. Speakers included Juan Manuel Abal Medina, Secretary of Public Communication of Argentina; Jorge Arguello, Ambassador of Argentina to the United States; Margarita Gutman, Associate Professor, The New School; and Carlos Ruta, Rector of the Universidad Nacional de San Martín.

Applications will be accepted by the OLA up to June 30, 2011 and awards will be announced in September 2011. For information regarding the President Nestor Kirchner Fellowships, please visit http://www.observatorylatinamerica.org/, or contact [email protected]

About the Observatory on Latin America at The New School
The Observatory on Latin America (OLA) at The New School is a university-wide initiative that creates new opportunities for public debate on hemispheric processes of reform and change. Launched in 2006 by current Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, OLA aims to improve academic and public understanding of political and economic change in South America, foster a public dialogue between the United States and South America, and collaborate with South American institutions to further these objectives and mobilize ideas. The OLA has two major projects: "Latin America on the Move," which brings South American leaders to New York to discuss major issues facing their countries and the region, and "Building South American Bicentennials in an Age of Globalization," which documents the forms and impacts of commemoration of the bicentennial anniversary of the independence of South American countries from Spain. The latter OLA project, together with eight South American academic institutions in six countries, currently has launched a Second International Call for Papers and Visual Materials on the theme "Bicentennials in Action: Commemoration, Economic Crisis, and Political Mobilization in Latin America." For more information, please visit www.observatorylatinamerica.org

About The New School
The New School, based in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village, is a legendary, progressive university inspiring undergraduates, graduate students and others to catalyze change in an inconstant world. Founded in 1919 as a hub of intellectual freedom by a group that included Charles Beard, John Dewey, and Thorstein Veblen, The New School today is a major degree-granting university comprised of distinct academic divisions. The university's 10,500 students are enrolled in 88 degree programs in the humanities and social sciences, design, administration and management, and the performing arts. In addition, the university's campus welcomes 3,544 adult learners in more than 650 continuing education courses every year. The New School holds hundreds of public programs that exemplify its commitment to democratic practice and social justice. For more information, visit www.newschool.edu.

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