Obama Foundation Scholarship Program

Obama Foundation Emerging Leaders Scholarships at Columbia University.

Who grants the scholarship?

The Obama Foundation.

Who is this call addressed to?

The Obama Foundation Scholarship program will provide emerging leaders in the United States and around the world who are already making a difference in their communities the opportunity to take their work to the next level through an immersive curriculum that brings together to various academic leaders, based on skills and practical learning.

ABOUT THE COHORTS

• a. Since 2018, the Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University has welcomed:
• b. 46 emerging leaders from 36 countries who have demonstrated their commitment to finding solutions to challenges in their communities, countries and regions.
• c. Academics who were, on average, 33 years old, with ages between 25 and 45
• d. Emerging institutional and movement leaders addressing a range of challenges, including strengthening governance, increasing access to high-quality healthcare, environmental sustainability, and promoting women's rights and ending violence of genre

CURRICULUM

The Obama Foundation offers a robust curriculum of leadership development, training, networking activities, and personalized support throughout the academic year to help Obama Foundation Fellows gain the skills, tools, and real-world experiences they need. they need to expand the impact of their work when they return to their countries.

These experiences allow scholars to gain insight from senior leaders across sectors and from the wealth of knowledge across the Obama Foundation's network of program participants as they plan how they would like to reinvest their new skills, networks and knowledge after graduating from the program.

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

Foundation-led activities include both cohorts of scholars, based at UChicago and Columbia, with the goal of creating a broader global community of practice for shared learning to inform scholars' approaches to their own work and accelerate that work as they return to their communities after graduation.

Each cohort's experience is designed to leverage the rich research ecosystems of these two world-class institutions and the cities where they are located, providing unique and immersive learning opportunities for all fellows in Chicago and New York City.

KEY COMPONENTS OF THE OBAMA FOUNDATION-LED EXPERIENCE INCLUDE

• 1. An orientation program to welcome the cohort to the Obama Foundation community and a final graduation program to celebrate the cohort's achievements and present their action plans.
• 2. Leadership development workshops and conversations designed to enhance academics' ability to tell the story of their work, reflect and refine their leadership approach, and develop sustained personal resilience. Through a variety of virtual session formats, scholars also hear about innovative solutions coming from the Obama Foundation program's alumni community and speak with senior thought leaders across sectors.
• 3. Develop and refine an action plan that draws on your experiences throughout the program, focused on your focus initiative and your future vision for your work.
• 4. Connections Through the growing alumni community, the Foundation facilitates direct connections between current Obama Scholars and previous cohorts, based on their topics of interest.
• 5. Personalized support including an executive coach and strategic communications and fundraising experts to assist academics in the development of their action plan and their own progression throughout their leadership journey.
• 6. Do you have questions about the program? Read the FAQ website (https://worldprojects.columbia.edu/frequently-asked-questions) for more information.

ABOUT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Obama Foundation Scholars at Columbia University will participate in several Columbia World Projects, an initiative that mobilizes the university's researchers and academics to work with governments, organizations, businesses and communities to create tangible solutions to real-world problems . The program will also take advantage of the unique engagement opportunities that come with being at one of the world's leading research centers and residing in New York City.

Scholars also participate in a fully immersive program that brings together academic learning, based on skills and experiences, designed by Columbia University in coordination with the Obama Foundation.

KEY COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY INCLUDE

• a. A weekly seminar that extends throughout the academic year and explores questions in conjunction with key global trends, including inequality, technological developments, the diffusion of power, population movements and climate change.
• b. Personal and professional development workshops designed to strengthen practical skills to improve the leadership capacity of academics. Previous workshop topics, led by institutes and faculty from across Columbia, include conflict management and resolution, design thinking, public speaking, and data analysis and interpretation.
• c. An experiential learning component that engages scholars in the work of Columbia World Projects.
• d. Audited coursework provides scholars with the flexibility to select and enroll in up to two graduate courses each semester at Columbia.
• e. A thought leadership speaker series featuring seasoned professional academics from the NGO community and philanthropic, government and international organizations to expand the academics' networks and perspectives to help advance their work.
• f. Partnering with a Columbia faculty advisor selected for their subject matter expertise to provide scholars with new insights and perspectives to inform scholars' work.
• g. Significant opportunities for scholars to contribute to the intellectual life of the campus and be exposed to different perspectives by interacting with the Columbia University community.

ABOUT OUR GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS

To learn more about our scholars, visit the Meet the Scholars page at: https://worldprojects.columbia.edu/meet-scholars