H.J. Heinz Company Foundation Fellowship
About the Fellowship
The Heinz Fellowship was established in 1982 by an endowment from the H. J. Heinz Company Foundation to the University of Pittsburgh's (“Pitt”) University Center for International Studies (UCIS). The Fellowship is offered annually and is managed by the Global Studies Center (GSC) at the UCIS. Pitt is one of the leading research universities in the United States with 13 professional schools, 31 departments in the humanities and social and natural sciences, over 4,800 faculty members, over 28,000 students, and library holdings of over 6.8 million volumes. Pitt is located in an urban center of cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity.
Heinz Fellowships are granted to individuals from developing countries who demonstrate potential as future leaders in the public, government, non-profit, or private sectors. The goal is to improve, early in a career, a Fellow’s capacity to contribute to the development of their country and to enhance their understanding of the U.S. The Fellowship has been restructured beginning with the 2012-13 academic year to align with specific Master’s programs of Pitt professional schools. The GSC no longer directly accepts Heinz applications. If you are interested in applying for the Fellowship, please contact the professional school you applied to after receipt of your acceptance. University of Pittsburgh professional schools with potential Heinz support include the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), the School of Law, and the School of Nursing.
Fellows will receive one to two years of support in the form of a living stipend of $19,200 (paid in monthly installments) and a $1,000 program and professional activities fund. Please note that if the Fellow comes from a country that does not have a tax treaty with the U.S., the Fellow must pay U.S. taxes amounting to 14% of the stipend. No transportation costs, living or other allowances, services or insurance funds are provided for dependents, whether or not they accompany the Fellow.
Eligibility
The competition for a Heinz Fellowship is open to men and women from developing countries whose record of accomplishment early in their career indicates strong potential for leadership and achievement in business, government, public services, or other relevant professions.
- Applicants must have been accepted to a Master’s program beginning the academic year for which they seek the Heinz Fellowship by the GSPH, the GSPIA or the School of Nursing.
- Applicants must have completed a university degree.
- Applicants must be proficient in speaking, reading and writing English.
- Preference will be given to those applicants at the early or mid-stages of their career.
- The Fellowship is intended for individuals in the practitioner and policy domains. It is not awarded for basic academic research, academic sabbaticals or medical research.
Fellow Obligations
During the residency, the Fellow is expected to give at least one presentation on a subject related to his or her professional experience to members of the University. In addition, the Fellow is strongly encouraged to participate in community outreach activities in the region by lecturing about his or her home country to an audience of high school students or interested adults.
Acceptance of the grant by the candidate constitutes an agreement between the grantee and the University. It is expected that, barring unforeseen emergencies, grantees will remain for the full tenure of the award. A grantee who leaves the U.S. or terminates the grant at a date earlier than that specified in the grant authorization, without consent of the University, will be required to reimburse the University for any expenditures made by the University on the grantee’s behalf.
Upon completion of the Heinz Fellowship program, Fellows are required to submit a final report describing and evaluating the full range of their activities and experiences during the Fellowship, as well as their plans for applying the Fellowship upon return to their home country. These reports are subsequently distributed to program officials at the University of Pittsburgh and to representatives at the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation. These reports will also be used as references for incoming Fellowship recipients. Upon acceptance of their final report, Fellows will receive a Heinz Program certificate from the UCIS.
Timeline
- Master’s program application deadline: Please check the deadline for the school and academic year you intend to apply.
- May 2016: Winner notified
- May 2016: Winners announced on Web site
- August 1, 2016: Fellowship year begins
- July 31, 2017: Fellowship year ends
Application Process
When submitting your Master’s program application, please indicate that you would like to be considered for the Heinz Fellows Program.
Current Heinz Fellows
Current Fellows 2015-16
Stephan Juma
Stephan Juma comes to Pitt in AY 15-16 as both a Heinz Fellow and as a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant focusing on Swahili pedagogy. He is a graduate of Masinde Muliro University of Science in Kakamega, Kenya, having received a Bachelor's in Education Arts. Mr. Juma is currently a secondary school teacher in Kenya. His academic interests include African Studies, communications and journalism; while his personal interests range from computers and technology to drama and music. While at Pitt, Mr. Juma will be working with both Global Studies and the African Studies Program.
James Ochieng
James Ochieng is a graduate of the Moi University School of Law and the Kenya School of Law in Nairobi. He is a practicing lawyer in Kenya whose work includes pro bono legal services for the poor. Mr. Ochieng has entered Pitt's LLM program to enhance his ability to excel in academia and his skills as a practicing lawyer for when he returns to Kenya. His goal is to become a law school faculty member. Mr. Ochieng's other interests include moot court competitions and football.
Kelechi Oriaku
Dr. Kelechi Oriaku is a native of Nigeria and is a graduate of the Dnipropetrovsk State Medical Academy in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. His inspiration for seeking a Master's in Public Health from Pitt stems from the myriad health issues afflicting his native land, including a high number of people living with HIV/AIDS. His travels to Asia and Europe have convinced Dr. Oriaku that exemplary health care systems and technologies available in countries in those regions must be developed in all regions and countries around the globe, including Africa. His studies at the GSPH are concentrated in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences.
Past Heinz Fellows
For a listing of past Heinz fellows, please visit this link.