Jefferson Fellowships

427 The Jefferson Fellowships program was launched in 1967 to enhance public understanding through the news media of cultures, issues and trends in the Asia Pacific region, broadly defined as Asia, the Pacific Islands and the United States. The Fellowships provide U.S. and Asia Pacific journalists with an opportunity to broaden their understanding of Asia Pacific issues and build a professional network through one week of dialogue with professional colleagues and experts at the East-West Center, followed by a two-week study tour to cities in Asia or the U.S. focusing on a special theme. In this unique program, American and Asia Pacific journalists study and travel together throughout the program. Funding for the Jefferson Fellowships has been provided through a grant from the Freeman Foundation of Stowe, Vermont since 1999.

The Jefferson Fellowships is the East-West Center’s oldest and most widely-recognized seminar program, with an illustrious alumni network of more than 500 Jefferson Fellows across the Asia Pacific region and the United States. Participation in the Jefferson Fellowships provides journalists not only with a life-changing international experience, valuable professional contacts, and life-long friendships with their colleagues in the program, but also access to the EWC’s international network of more than 1,000 media professionals and 50,000 alumni.

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See a list of all Jefferson Fellowships alumni since 1967.

Theme: Changing Cities: Innovation for an Urban World
Dates: June 3-25, 2012
Destinations: Honolulu, Hawaii; Singapore; Guangzhou, China; Songdo/Seoul, Korea. The 2012 program also includes the special opportunity to participate in the East-West Center’s 3rd International Media Conference in Seoul, June 22-24.

Across the Asia Pacific region, a massive demographic shift is underway. For the first time in human history, more people now live in cities than in rural areas. In the next 20 years, the world population will grow from 7 billion to 8.3 billion people. The urban population will grow even faster, from 3.5 billion to 5 billion. Hundreds of cities will be built and expanded to accommodate migration and growth – particularly in India and China. Urbanization has led to expanded economic development, poverty reduction and increased wealth in the Asia Pacific region and cities are centers of knowledge and innovation. But rapidly growing cities across the region have struggled to manage demand for basic services, transportation infrastructure, housing, energy and employment. With humanity's urban footprint set to almost double in just 20 years, there is a new sense of urgency about finding ways to accommodate the future billions in sustainable, efficient and equitable cities that can foster productivity and continued economic growth. Cities, especially in Asia, are thus the focus of intensive efforts to find new approaches to energy efficiency, building design, transportation, waste management, water and sanitation, and energy use. The investments will be huge, and companies around the world see their economic futures tied to solving the social, economic, environmental, and engineering challenges of this urban transformation, which will largely define the 21st century.

The Spring 2012 Jefferson Fellowships will provide journalists from Asia Pacific and the United States with an opportunity to explore this regional mega-trend and the models and innovations that are solving current problems and will be key to managing cities of the future. The Honolulu program will provide a forum for journalists to share perspectives from their countries and communities and gain broad perspectives on urbanization challenges for the U.S. and Asia. Participants will then travel to Singapore, which has developed and implemented some of the world's most advanced solutions to address urbanization challenges such as road congestion, water management and housing, and has positioned itself as a regional hub and “living lab” of urban solutions for high-density and livable cities. In Guangzhou, participants will have a chance to see how China is adapting its existing cities to be more efficient with a new internationally award winning bus rapid transit (BRT) system, by far the largest in Asia and a model for other cities around the world, as well as other efforts to manage migration, pollution and industrialization. Korea is experimenting with “green growth,” setting aggressive low carbon goals, and as the most wired country in the world, is a test bed for new information technologies. Journalists will visit Songdo, an urban laboratory of digital-city innovation providing the focus and investments to re-engineer the way cities work. Companies are investing heavily in “smart cities” and are using Songdo to test new technologies that they hope to employ in cities across the world. Journalists will explore the role of government, business and citizens in affecting positive development for the regions' growing urban populations.

The program will close in Seoul with the special opportunity to participate in the East-West Center’s 3rd International Media Conference, June 22-24, with the theme “Networked News: How New Media is Shaping Stories in Asia and the Pacific.” The Conference is expected to draw more than 300 media professionals from around the world to engage with leading journalists, analysts, policymakers and one another through keynotes, panel discussions and workshops. Topics will include new media and its impact on journalism, society, and politics across the region, as well as analysis of current security, economic, energy and international relations issues. There also will be a visit to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.

Congratulations to the Spring 2012 Jefferson Fellows:

Mr. A. Z. M. ANAS, Economic Editor and Special Correspondent, The Financial Express, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Mr. Sanjay Kumar BHATT, Reporter, The Seattle Times, Seattle, Washington, USA
Mr. Jonathan (Jon) Elie FASMAN, Atlanta Correspondent, The Economist, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Mrs. Oyungerel GALSANDAGVA, Head of social and human development division, Unuudur (Today) Newspaper, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Ms. Carrie Dana HALPERIN, Associate Producer/Writer, ABC News, New York, New York, USA
Ms. Maya KANEKO, Reporter, Kyodo News, Tokyo, Japan
Mr. Praj KIATPONGSAN, Anchor/International Correspondent, Nation Broadcasting Corporation Public Company Limited, Bangna, Bangkok, Thailand
Ms. Jiajia LI, Reporter, Southern TV, Guangzhou, China
Ms. Mahim MAHER, City Editor, The Express Tribune, Karachi, Pakistan
Ms. Pradipta MUKHERJEE, Reporter, Bloomberg News, Kolkata, India
Ms. Marie Carisa ORDINARIO, Reporter, Business Mirror, Makati City, Philippines
Mr. Neal PEIRCE, Columnist, Washington Post Writers Group, Washington, D.C., USA
Mr. Syed Muhammad Hasnain RAZA, Assignment Editor, Samaa TV, Islamabad, Pakistan
Ms. Karyn SCHERER, Deputy Editor, New Zealand Listener, Auckland, New Zealand
Mr. Idrus SHAHAB, Managing Editor, Tempo Weekly Magazine, Jakarta, Indonesia

Program Coordinator and Contacts:

Ann Hartman
Jefferson Fellowships Coordinator
E-mail: jefferson@eastwestcenter.org
Phone: 808-944-7619
Fax: 808-944-7600
Jefferson Fellowships
East-West Seminars
East-West Center
1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96848-1601, U.S.A.