Fulbright Program Information on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

11579-AL

Public Administration

Albania

Europe and Eurasia

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Award Details

Award Activity

The scope of the Fulbright Scholar's work will be threefold: curriculum development, training and mentoring. To that effect, the Scholar is expected to develop a policy-making training curriculum for executive and management level civil servants from the central and local government. The program will seek to train public administration officials to design, manage, implement and evaluate policies. Ideally, training will also address problem solving techniques, data analyses, accountability and transparency with the goal of developing implementable policies and laws and appropriate budgeting. The program will also include a Training for Trainers program for a group of local experts in policy making and problem solving techniques. The Scholar will also provide coaching sessions once every two weeks for various public employees from central and local government.

In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars will be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities‎.

Award Length

5 months

Award Dates

September 2021 - January 2022 There is some flexibility on the grant start dates because the Albanian School for Public Administration (ASPA) works on a calendar year. However, the grant cannot start in August because it coincides with the high holiday season.

Locations

The Albanian School of Public Administration (ASPA) is a central public institution, with administrative and academic autonomy, with the mission of training the civil servants of central government, local government, and independent institutions. ASPA was initially founded in 2000 as the Training Institute of Public Administration (TIPA) and acquired the status of the Albanian School of Public Administration in 2013. ASPA’s mission is to offer educational (study and in-service training) services to support the process of development of the public administration and the whole of society. The core priorities of ASPA’s Strategy focus on institutional enforcement and quality public services, supporting public administration in the process of European Integration, and diversification of training portfolios, digitalization, main streaming of good governance, and problem solving in ASPA training curriculum and activities. ASPA provides various services in the framework of classroom-based training programs, Traineing of Trainers, internship programs, e-learning programs, etc. Every year ASPA trains approximately 5,000 public officials, based on more than 100 didactic Training Modules. ASPA has a wide pool of local trainers from academia, public administration and private sector with local expertise in various fields. The organization and operation of ASPA is governed by Law On the Civil Servant (No. 152/2013) and the Decision of the Council of Ministers On the Organization and Functioning of the Albanian School of Public Administration and Training of Civil Servants (No. 138, of March 2014). For additional information contact Mrs. Kleopatra Maliqi, Director General, Kleopatra.Maliqi@aspa.gov.al. Secondary POC Adela Kula, Assistant, adela.kula@aspa.gov.al

On October 2019 ASPA started the training of the Top Management Corps (TMC), a 280 hours program to conclude with the Public Speaking Conference in April 2020. This is a pioneer program developed for the first time in Albania. The program was designed by local experts and consists of 33 modules that provide training in the development of conceptual, human and technical skills and european integration based on adult learning research. The program focuses but is not limited in these main leadership aspects: Strategic Management, Leadership, and Public Policy Making, Planning and financial management, Strategic communication and emotional intelligence, Critical thinking and European integration. The TMC program is based on the 280-hour flipped learning.

The last two years have marked a significantly higher interest among the public administration employees and participation in training programs offered by ASPA. According to the ASPA statistics 4789 public administration employees were trained in 2017 and 5554 in 2018 (+16%). During the first three quarters of 2019, 5448 employees were trained from central government institutions (3318), local governments (1350), independent institutions (500), and 280 ASPA staff and trainers.

Flex Option

Discipline Type

Only applications in the following disciplines will be considered

Disciplines

Public Administration

Areas of Interest

A Fulbright Scholar with background in one or more of the following areas of would be very helpful: - Policy Making - Intergovernmental Administration and Management - Public Policy Analysis - Public Administration, Budgeting and Financial Mgmt.

Award Requirements

Application Requirements

Invitation Requirement

A letter of invitation is optional

Invitation Requirement Additional Information

If the applicants are not able to receive a letter of invitation from the listed host institution, Public Affairs staff will help establish contact, provide information and/or propose new host institution as needed.

Language Proficiency Requirements

None, English is sufficient. However, feasibility of conducting the project must be demonstrated in the project statement.

Additional Language Requirement

English language proficiency is a requirement for Public Administration employees. Although their speaking and writing skills may not be excellent, their listening comprehension and reading skills are quite good. ASPA is also willing to provide translation assistance when needed.

Additional Information

Additional Comments

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy Tirana provides Fulbright Scholars with other engaging and outreach opportunities. As available and interested, PAS invites Scholars to serve as guest lecturers at public or private universities, introduces Scholars to professionals in the field as well as Albanian Fulbright Alumni.

Helpful Links

http://aspa.gov.al/en/

Stipend & Benefits

Please refer to the figures above for an estimate of total monthly Fulbright award benefits. Benefits may include a monthly base stipend, living and housing allowances, and additional one-time allowances. Benefits may vary based on a scholar's current academic rank (or professional equivalent), the city of placement, the type of award (teaching, teaching/research, or research), and the number of and duration of stay of accompanying dependents. Research-only grantees receive a standard stipend that is not adjusted for academic rank. In most cases, dependent benefits will not be provided to Flex grantees, or to grantees pursuing grants less than four months (or a semester) in length.

Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State reserves the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.

Country/Area Overview

Summary

Up to three grants. Short-term Flex grants for teaching, research or teaching/research for one- to three-month segments over one or two consecutive years are available for applicants in the All Disciplines category only. Final approval of Flex grants will be contingent upon available funding.

Overview

Albania provides a unique opportunity for scholars interested in connecting with students and academics from a rapidly developing country in Europe. In the heart of the Mediterranean on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, Albania is a beautiful country with a varied climate and topography. It is quickly becoming a popular travel destination. Albania enjoys friendly and cooperative bilateral relations with the United States. Pro-American sentiment is widespread among the population.

Still relatively unspoiled by globalization, Albania offers an inspiring mixture of civilizations and cultures. Scholars are amazed by the ancient history of Albania, the rich cultural tradition and the harmony and respect shared among the adherents of the country’s three major religions: Islam, Roman Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity.

Albania has a young population eager to learn and study. The educational system has experienced constant change and improvement in the last twenty years to reflect global developments in education and to meet the changing needs of the population. In 2015, a group of educational experts, representatives of private and public universities and with input from other stakeholders drafted a new law on higher education. The approved law came into effect systematically during the 2016-2017 academic year as the bylaws were developed and approved. For the first time, all Albanian universities went through an institutional accreditation process led by the British Accreditation Agency successfully concluded in December 2017. For a full list of accredited public universities click Here. For a full list of accredited private universities click here.

There are 15 public universities and over 25 private universities in Albania. The Albanian higher education system is part of the Bologna Agreement and operates on a 3+2+3 scheme (3-year undergraduate degree, 2-year graduate degree - usually referred to as a Scientific Master’s Degree, and 3-year doctoral program). For more information visit The European Higher Education Area and read about the Bologna Bachelor's Degree. Both public and private universities have partnerships with European universities and exchange programs are largely funded through EU Erasmus programs.

The living conditions and infrastructure in Albania are good, particularly in cities. However, rural areas are still developing and infrastructure, especially roads, can be poor. Monthly housing costs vary between $600 and $800, depending on location and size. An international English language school (K-12) is located in Tirana. Instruction in English language is extremely limited outside of Tirana.

Computer facilities and hardware are now available but at a higher cost than in the United States. Internet access is widely available at home and in Internet cafes in urban areas. Rural areas have more limited access to the Internet but many people connect via smartphones.

Applications in all fields are welcome, but preference is given to those related to Journalism, Gender Studies, Education, Public Administration, and Law.

For further information contact Deputy Public Affairs Officer Lucija Straley StraleyLB@state.gov and Educational and Cultural Assistant Mirela Cupi cupim@state.gov, or visit the U.S. Embassy website.

Application Deadline

Closed

Activity

Professional Project

A Professional Project enables the participant to engage in activities in their area of expertise to enhance their professional development and the field at large. Projects may include serving as a professional consultant to the host organization, sharing expertise, visiting other organizations in their professional field, gaining practical experience, and attending public lectures. While the details vary according to the specific award, the focus of a Professional Project grant should not be research or teaching.

Degree Requirements

Ph.D. (or other terminal degree) not required

Number of Recipients

Up To 1

Program Staff

Aferdita Krasniqi

Outreach and Recruitment Officer

Phone:

212-984-5326

Email:

EuropeEurasia@iie.org

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