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Scholar Development and Fellowships Advising

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James C. Gaither Junior Fellows program

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Megan Maxwell, CLA '19, Temple's First Gaither Junior Fellow

Photo by Ray S. Brandenberg

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a unique global network of policy research centers in Russia, China, Europe, the Middle East, India, and the United States. Their mission is to advance the cause of peace through analysis and development of fresh policy ideas and direct engagement and collaboration with decision-makers in government, business and civil society. Their centers bring multiple national viewpoints to bilateral, regional and global issues. Each year through the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows program, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers approximately 11-13 one-year fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year. They are selected from a pool of nominees from close to 400 participating colleges.  

Gaither Junior Fellows provide research assistance to scholars working on Carnegie Endowment's projects. They have the opportunity to conduct research, contribute to op-eds, papers, reports, and books, edit documents, participate in meetings with high-level officials, contribute to congressional testimony and organize briefings attended by scholars, activists, journalists and government officials. 

Applicants select one of the following primary areas*: Democracy, U.S. Foreign Policy, Nuclear Policy, Technology, Energy and Climate, Middle East, South Asia, Asia Program (with separate projects on China, Japan, and Economics), Russia/Eurasia, and Africa. *Note these may change from year to year. 

Institutional Nomination

The Gaither Junior Fellows program does not accept direct applications; students must be nominated by Temple University.  Please see below for application instructions for nomination.

Campus Deadline

December 1 annually 

National Deadlines

January 15 annually 

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Applicants must be graduating seniors or students who have graduated during the last academic year. No one who has started graduate studies is eligible for consideration (except in cases where the student has completed a joint bachelor’s/master’s degree program).  

Students should have completed a significant amount of course work related to their discipline of interest. Language and other skills may also be required for certain assignments. The selection process for the program is very competitive. Accordingly, applicants should be of high academic quality. 

Campus Application Instructions and Checklist

The Carnegie Endowment forwards application materials in late September to institutional representatives (at Temple University, Barbara Gorka). Interested applicants should plan to meet with the campus representative well in advance of the campus deadline. 

Submit the following documents to Fellowships Advising at or by December 1.

1. Campus Waiver and Agreement

Complete the online agreement. 

2. Two Letters of Recommendation

Writers should send letters of recommendation directly to Barbara Gorka () as a PDF by December 1. These recommendations can come from anyone the student feels can best speak to their abilities as a potential Gaither Junior Fellow. Junior Fellows provide essential research assistance to our senior scholars. This often requires sophisticated judgment and independent work. Recommendations will therefore be especially useful if they speak to the student's analytical and writing skills, self-discipline and maturity, and, where relevant, subject matter expertise.

3. Resume/CV

Submit your Resume/CV (1-2 pages) 

4. Transcripts

Submit an official copy of your Temple transcript as a PDF. If you earned transfer credit for work at a previous institution, summer school, or study abroad (on a non-Temple program), provide an official transcript as a PDF as well. 

5. Gaither Junior Fellows Program Application

The application is not available on the Gaither Junior Fellows Program website. Candidates must speak to the institutional representative (Barbara Gorka, ) to receive the updated form. Application forms are usually made available to the institutional representative by late September.

6. Essay 1

An essay (personal statement) of up to two pages; double spaced. The personal statement should discuss why you are applying for this job, what you hope to learn from it, how you think your experience and working style would serve you well as a research assistant, and why you have chosen to apply for the program you are applying for.

7. Essay 2

A writing sample of three to five pages, double spaced. This sample may be either a full-length piece that falls within the size range or an excerpt from a longer work.

  • The writing sample must be accompanied by a brief explanation of no more than half of one page explaining why the student chose that sample. The explanation is not included in the three to five page limitation noted above.
  • The writing sample can be on any topic. However, we recommend that the student choose a writing sample that is relevant to the program they are applying for, either in subject matter or style of analysis. For more information on what each Carnegie research program is working on, we recommend visitinghttps://carnegieendowment.org/programs-and-projects.
  • A works cited page is not required. However, in-text citations (either footnotes/endnotes or parenthetical) should be included with the writing sample.

Campus Contact

Barbara Gorka

Director, Scholar Development and Fellowships Advising

Email:
Phone: 215-204-0708