The Institute of International Education (IIE) has announced a fellowship program for young American researchers in professional, policy and public administration-related fields who want to develop a specialized knowledge of the CEE and NIS countries. Journalism is one of the fields supported by this program.

IIE is accepting applications for Professional Development Fellowships to Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The competition is open to U.S. citizens enrolled in their second or terminal year of graduate or professional school or to recent graduates of such schools. The application deadline is February 2, 1999. Finalists will be interviewed by telephone in March.

Fellowships are available for periods of three to seven months. Financial benefits include round-trip international transportation, monthly living stipend, health insurance, and allowance for books and travel within the host country.

Applicants must submit a detailed proposal of the study or research they wish to pursue and demonstrate how the project will benefit their plans and professional careers. Journalists will be able to deepen their understanding of the host country and become familiar with the scholarly resources in their fields.

The program is funded by the U.S. State Department. IIE administers 240 programs through which almost 18,000 men and women from 170 nations benefit annually. IIE forges partnerships between the public and private sectors to design and implement international programs and to provide technical assistance in all countries and all fields, including journalism.

For further information, brochures and application forms, contact U.S. Student Programs, Professional Development

Fellowships, IIE, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017. Tel: (212) 984-5330. Fax: (212) 984-5325.

E-mail: pdfnis@iie.org. Web site: Web site: http://www.iie.org/pgms/pdfnis/