Eligibility Requirements

1. Individuals who are eligible:
   1. A citizen or national of the United States, or a permanent resident of the United States;
   2. A faculty member who teaches modern foreign languages or area studies;
   3. A teacher in an elementary or secondary school;
   4. An experienced education administrator responsible for planning, conducting, or supervising programs in modern foreign languages or area studies at the elementary, secondary, or post-secondary level; or
   5. Graduate student, or a junior or senior in an institution of higher education, who plans a teaching career in modern foreign languages or area studies.

   6. A heritage (Khmer-American) and non-heritage learners.
       

2. Individuals who are not eligible:
   1. Individuals who have participated in either the US/ED Group Project Advanced Program or Seminar Abroad Program in the past three years (2003-2006); or
   2. Individuals who have had two awards with either the US/ED Group Projects Abroad Program or Seminars Abroad Program, unless the award was received 10 years ago.
   3. Individuals who are currently unemployed.
   4. Individuals who are educated native or near-educated native speakers.
       
3. Restriction on non-participants:

   Spouses, other family members, and friends, who have not been selected to participate in this project according to the selection criteria state in the approved application, are not permitted to join the group at any point during the program.

(Note: Area studies means a program of comprehensive study of the aspects of a society or societies including the study of geography, history, culture, economy, politics, international relations, languages.)

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Required Documents

Applicants for the Advanced Study of Khmer (ASK) program must submit the following documents to the selection committee:

1. Official transcripts of all college and/or university training undertaken to date.
2. Three letters of reference, two from individuals who can comment on the applicant's academic ability and aptitude to adapt to Cambodia, and one from a current or former teacher of Khmer who can comment on the applicant's skill as a student of Khmer (must have successfully completed at least 2nd academic year in Khmer).
3. Copies of any Khmer proficiency assessments that the applicant may have completed.
4. A personal statement outlining academic and/or career goals, indicating how participation in ASK will help to achieve those goals, and contributions the applicant can make to the goal and mission of ASK.
5. A one-page statement hand written in Khmer concerning reasons for wishing to participate in the ASK Program and the benefits expected to be derived.
6. A brief statement on the topic of the final paper. This should be relevant to study Modern Khmer with ASK.
7. A list of any family, relatives or friends who currently reside or work in Cambodia.

In preparing the personal statement, applicants who have lived and worked in Cambodia previously should discuss their experience there, and indicate how they plan to incorporate that experience in their future studies. Those with extensive prior study of Khmer and/or experience in Cambodia should indicate why additional training is now necessary.

Applicants should bear in mind that the selection committee gives careful attention to the personal statement. A full discussion of all points is essential for a successful application. One of the selection committee will contact you or your references.

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Oral Interview

In addition to submitting the application form and the documents discussed above, each applicant will be required to participate in an oral interview in Khmer. The interview, which will be recorded and retained for future reference, will normally be conducted by telephone by a member of the Khmer Language Program faculty. Arrangements for the interview will be made after a preliminary review of all applications has been completed.

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Rights and Responsibilities

1. Rights and Responsibilities of American participants
   1. A person accepting a grant is not an official or employee of the US/ED or other agency of the US Government, or of an agency of the government of Cambodia.
   2. Project participants are responsible for observing satisfactory academic and professional standards and for maintaining a standard of conduct and integrity which is in keeping with the spirit and intent of the Fulbright-Program and which will contribute positively to the promotion of mutual understanding between people of the United States and Cambodia.
   3. ASK participants are expected to obey the laws of Cambodia.
   4. ASK participants should be aware that their public political statements or activities might draw them into the political arena, which can be incompatible with objectives of the project. Participants are responsible for exercising discretion and judgment in all of their actions.
2. Revocation or Termination of Project Participants

   Under the rules of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the ASK Project Director may terminate or send a participant home for any of the following reasons:

   1. Violation of U.S. or Cambodian law;
   2. Acts likely to be offensive to Cambodia;
   3. Failure to observe satisfactory academic or professional standards;
   4. Failure to devote full time to project activities;
   5. Engaging in income producing activities.
3. Repayment of Monies

   Participants who return to the U.S. prior to the completion of the project, whether they have been terminated for cause or for other reasons, may be required to repay all funds.

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Travel Procedures

1. International Travel and Local Travel
   1. Participant travel funded by the U.S. Government must be in accordance with the Fly America Act. Federal Travel Regulations require that U.S. carriers must be used for travel that is to be reimbursed from federal grants and contracts. This policy is called the Fly America Act.
   2. ASK participants will travel as a group during the overseas phase of the program. At the end of the overseas phase, participants who want to stay longer in Cambodia or who want to travel to other places are required to pay the difference in airfare or local transportation cost.
2. Maintenance Allowance
   1. The allowances my not exceed the rate specified in "Participants Fellowship Agreement".
3. Health and Accident Insurance
   1. US/ED requires that participants be covered by health and accident insurance plans that are valid abroad as well as in this country. This insurance should include Emergency Medical Evaluation as well as Repatriation of Remains coverage.
   2. Neither US/ED nor the University of Hawai'i/ASK Program assumes any responsibility for any injury, accident, illness and loss of personal property or other contingencies that may befall project participants during or as result of their stay abroad.
      
4. Inoculations

   For information on availability of medical services abroad and recommended shots (e.g., gamma globulin) project director and participants should follow US Embassy recommendations. Additional information on recommended shots may be obtained by calling the Center for Disease Control's International Travelers Hotline at (404) 332-4559 or from the website http://www.cdc.gov/.

5. Passport and Visas

   Participants are responsible for obtaining their passports and the appropriate visas. The grant does not provide funds for passport and visa expenses.
   

6. Participant Information Required by ASK Prior to Departure

   Approximately five (5) weeks prior to the departure to the country of study, the participants must submit to the Project Director the following documents:

   1. Participant's name (as listed in passport)
   2. Home address
   3. Present employer (name of institution/school/organization)
   4. Position title
   5. E-mail address
   6. Current phone number (up to departure date)

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Application and Requirement

You may download the application in either

1. MS Word which can be filled out and returned as an email attachment to Prof Sak-Humphry at sak@hawaii.edu or as a
2. PDF which should be printed, filled, and mailed to Prof. Sak-Humphry at the address below.

You may download the requirement here

1. MS Word
2. PDF

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Fees/Fellowships

There is a program fee, but each applicant who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident may apply for a fellowship to cover travel, tuition, program fees, and basic housing costs. Other applicants may be accepted as auditors, but are not eligible for support and must pay their own costs.

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University Credit

In order to get University of Hawai'i credits, participants must contact Dr. Chhany Sak-Humphry, Khmer Language Coordinator and the Outreach College at UH Manoa.

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