Za Vlado Združenih držav Amerike Eugene C. Santoro l. r.
FULBRIGHT EXCHANGE PROGRAM
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA AND
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia (hereinafter, "the Government of RS") and the Government of the United States of America (hereinafter, "the Government of USA") agree to the following terms for the exchange of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and lecturers under the auspices of the Fulbright Program. It is the intent of both Governments that this mechanism be considered an interim, ad hoc solution, designed to sustain academic exchanges between Slovenia and the United States unitil new negotiations lead to its extension or replacement. Amendments may be executed, however, at any time with the express agreement of both Governments.
Item I: An ad hoc bilateral Committee (hereinafter, "the Committee") shall be created to recommend action to the Government of RS and the Government of USA on all matters pertaining to the proposed exchange program.
Item II: In the initial year, the Committee shall consist of the Undersecretary from the Service for International Cultural, Educational and Scientific Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Slovenia (hereinafter, the Ministry) and the Public Affairs Officer of the U. S. Embassy (hereinafter, the Embassy) in Ljubljana. In subsequent years, the Committee shall consist of eight persons, four of whom shall be appointed by the Embassy and four of whom shall be appointed by the Ministry. To assure that the Committee members bring a diversity of experience to their deliberations, one member from each side shall represent the university and scholarly community and one member from each side shall represent the private, non-governmental sector. The Ambassador and the Minister shall be" honorary members of the Committee in addition to the eight appointed members.
Item III: The program shall be bilateral, providing for the exchange of an approximately equal number of grantees each year, equality to be determined on a grantee-month basis.
Item IV: The Committee shall recommend actions that will provide for and quarantee the following:
A. The development of a comprehensive proposal detailing the scope of programs for the following fiscal year, the academic areas of concentration, the types of grants and similar general guidelines for approval by the respective Governments;
B. The establishment of a mechanism for the annual announcement of the request for applications for Fulbright grants from citizens of Slovenia;
C. The establishment of a mechanism for the receipt of applications from citizens of Slovenia that will assure that the competition is entirely open and that anyone can apply and compete on an equal footing.
D. The establishment of a process to determine the eligibility of submitted applications, through non-partisan technical review.
E. The establishment of academic review panels for the purpose of evaluating the merits of each study, research and lecturing proposal for further consideration by interview panels and by the Committee;
F. The establishment of panels to interview all persons whose applications have passed technical review; interview panels should consist of four persons, representing the Government of RS, the Government of USA, and the Slovene and U. S. academic communities. The panel each year' shall establish a rating system for the interviews (for evaluation of candidates on criteria including English language ability, quality and feasibility of proposed programs, applicability of each candidate's field to the needs of each country, and academic credentials/letters of reference of each candidate);
G. The presentation of a roster of rank-ordered principal and alternate candidates, based on the results, of the interviews, for the approval of the J. William -Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board;
H. The review of applications from U. S. students, scholars and researchers seeking placement in Slovenia;
I. The Placement in Slovene universities and academic research institutes of U. S. applicants for grants;
Item V: The financial obligations for the funding of the exchange program are agreed to be as follows:
A. Each government shall be responsible for in-country, local currency expenses including publicity, committee, academic review panel meetings, interview panel meetings, grantee orientation programs, and other local expenses.
B. The sending side shall cover travel costs for its grantees from their homes to the host institution in the host country.
C. The receiving side shall provide grantees with housing, local currency stipends, and medical insurance.
Item VI: The immediate steps to be taken to support the grant competition for academic year 1993-94 will be as follows:
A. Week of November 2 – The Committee meets to:
1. Review the ranking of applicants by interview panels.
2. Prepare a slate of nominees to be forwarded to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
3. Prepare the comprehensive proposal for the 1994-95 academic year for submission to the Government of RS and the Government of USA for approval.
B. November 13 – A list of principal and alternate Slovene candidates for the 1993-94 academic year is cabled to Washington, and full sets of applications forms are forwarded to the Institute of International Education (HE) and to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES).
C. January-February 1993 – Following approval by the Government of RS and the Government of USA of the comprehensive plan for the 1994-95 academic year, publish the announcement of the competition for Slovene candidates for the 1994-95 academic year. The Ministry and the Embassy will publish an announcement in Slovenia that applications for grants for the 1994-95 academic year will be accepted from citizens of Slovenia, that forms may be requested from either the Embassy or the Ministry, and that completed applications may be returned either to the Ministry or the Embassy.
Item VII: This memorandum begins to apply on the day of its signature and goes into effect on the day when both governments exchange the notes that all internal legal requirements have been fulfilled. The memorandum remains in effect for a period of one year.
Signed in Ljubljana on December 8, 1992 in two copies written in English and Slovene language. The texts are identical in both languages.
For the Government of the
Republic of Slovenia
Tanja Orel-Sturm, (s)
For the Government
of the United States of America
Eugene C. Santoro, (s)