43rd Annual Report - Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in ...

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CSFP ALUMNI: DEVELOPING THE NETWORKFour years ago, the Commission embarked on a major project to trace some 13,000individuals who had held their awards in the United Kingdom. The results have beenhighly encouraging; well over 3,000 alumni have already responded. The past yearhas shown, however, that tracing former award holders is only the first step inrealising the project’s potential.The Commission embarked on its alumni project for several reasons. Firstly,knowledge of subsequent careers could play a vital role in evaluating our programmes– and hopefully in justifying the support of governments and others. Secondly, alumnican play a vital role in helping us to devise new programmes, necessary to meetchanging needs. Thirdly, former award holders are important in generating publicityfor the scheme, ensuring that it continues to reach the widest possible range ofcandidates.Omnes - The regular newsletter for CSFPalumniAlumni re-unions are becoming increasinglyfrequent as a result of the tracer study. (Above)former Commonwealth Scholars meet in Trinidad,with Rosalind Grimmitt of the Commissionsecretariat, (below) Alumni in Delhi with DeputyBritish High Commissioner Mark RunacresOur activities consist of three strands – finding former award holders, recording theirprogress, and using their expertise. The past year has seen progress in each area.Numbers of current addresses on our database have increased as a result of increasedpublicity and new sources of information. High Commissions, universities andnominating agencies in the countries concerned have all proved to be valuable sources.A search of documentary evidence from the early years of the Plan has enabled us toadd records of CSFP award holders in countries other than the UK, and in particularBritish students who travelled abroad for their awards. A particularly welcomedevelopment has been the decision of the Canadian authorities to conduct their owntracer study of CSFP alumni – an initiative that opens up many possibilities forcollaboration.Results to date confirm that the project has immense potential. Award holders not onlytypically return to their home country, but make a major impact there. Literallyhundreds have risen to the highest levels in their professions, whether in government,academia, business or the voluntary sector. The next step is to move beyondconventional alumni activity to transform the database into a genuine network ofexpertise. Several communication channels have already been established – such asthe twice-yearly magazine Omnes, local chapters and receptions in several countries.The production of the first ever directory of former scholars – a substantialundertaking scheduled to coincide with the Conference of Commonwealth EducationMinisters in October 2003 – will be a further step. Additional funding for this hasbeen obtained through a grant from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.In the longer term, even more could be achieved by dividing alumni into specificsubject or interest groups. Our most recent survey, which seeks details of currentsubject and research interests, and asks alumni to list their most significantcontributions, could be a valuable step in this direction. A likely outcome is theestablishment of electronic discussion groups, through which alumni could assist thedevelopment of each other’s careers, develop collaborations and assist external bodiesin the search for expertise in their areas.In harnessing the achievements of our alumni and electronic communication methods,we aim to maximise the impact of the Plan for both award holders themselves andtheir respective countries. In future, the hope is that Commonwealth awards will lastnot for a defined period in the United Kingdom, but for life!If you are a former CSFP award holder who is not yet a member of the AlumniAssociation, please contact us at alumni@acu.ac.uk. Alternatively, a form to submityour details can be downloaded from the alumni section of the CSFP web site, atwww.csfp-online.org.CSC Annual Report page 12
SKILLS ENHANCEMENTThe ability of individuals to make an impact in future careers depends not only onformal qualifications, but upon a range of personal and other skills. The Commissionis keen to ensure that award holders receive extra training in these areas, and use theirtime in the United Kingdom to network as widely as possible.The introduction of ‘skills enhancement’ events was a major recommendation of ourlast review. The idea was to provide training in areas which, although vital to awardholders’ future effectiveness, would not be provided through their formal studies. Thisyear, for the first time, we were able to allocate a formal budget to support suchevents.The pilot programme included nine separate seminars, and five external providers.Topics ranged from general management skills – such as team building, strategicthinking and leadership – to more specific areas. A weekend course organised by theThompson Foundation, in conjunction with the School of Journalism in the Universityof Wales, Cardiff dealt with presenting ideas to the media. Another session, organisedby the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) inOxford gave practical advice on how to access information from developing countries– an essential skill for those seeking to build a research career.(Above and below) Studentsundergoing a practical exercise duringthe Negotiation and Problem SolvingcourseThe UK Research Administrators’ Group Network (RAGNET) staged a specialist onedaycourse on how to present funding applications and manage projects for externalfunders. Topics covered included how to seek funds for collaborations involvingdeveloping country universities, how to find external partners, financial management,the dissemination of results to wider society and intellectual property issues. TheInstitute of Education, University of London, staged two courses on gender issues.The first examined ways in which knowledge is generated from a gender perspective;the second looked at career issues for those women students about to return home, andoffered practical help in drawing up individual career plans.Management and leadership courses were supplied by LEAD International, a charitywith specific experience in training for developing countries, whose UK office is basedat Imperial College London. Courses included: Building Highly effective Teams,Exploring Leadership through Experience and Practice, Negotiation and ProblemSolving and Using Systems Thinking for Transformational Change. The latter coursedrew on material developed jointly by LEAD, the Sustainability Institute and theUniversity of New Hampshire.The majority of courses took place after the period covered by this report, but it isalready clear that demand was overwhelming, despite the fact that many courses wereat weekends. Initial feedback has also been positive – finding a way to increaseprovision within the budget will be a major challenge for future years!Where possible, too, the Commission aims to involve award holders in wider policydebates. Our annual welcome day always has a policy theme – examples in recentyears have included the impact of globalisation and the role of universities ininternational development. Those with easy access to London are encouraged to takepart in the extensive seminar programme of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.Over 20 took part in a recent consultation exercise organised by the InternationalDevelopment Research Centre – a publicly funded agency in Canada – on policytowards the internationalisation of research. Many award holders write articles whilstin the UK, and several of those in the country in late 2003 will have the chance to takepart in the Edinburgh Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers.Professor Anne Gold (third right), whopresented two seminars on gender issues,with the Commission’s Rachel Day (thirdleft) and award holdersIn short, holding a Commonwealth award is about more than gaining a qualification.To maximise impact, we need to be sure that award holders use their time in the UK tomaximum effect; to learn more generic skills that will increase their contribution inlater life. This year’s new initiatives have provided a clear step in this direction.CSC Annual Report page 13
Page 1: 42nd Annual Reportto the Secretaryo
Page 8 and 9: ACADEMIC STAFF SCHOLARSHIPSAcademic
Page 10 and 11: SPLIT-SITE DOCTORATESSplit-Site Doc
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Page 16 and 17: CSFP & THE COMMONWEALTHThe Commissi
Page 18 and 19: PERFORMANCE INDICATORSCommission su
Page 20 and 21: 2003 SELECTIONSScholars and Fellows
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Page 24 and 25: 2002 AWARDS: NOMINATIONS AND SELECT
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Page 36 and 37: COMMISSION FINANCESDistribution of
Page 38 and 39: CSFP PEOPLE: QUALIFICATIONS AWARDED
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Page 42 and 43: CSFP PEOPLE: PANEL OF ADVISERS 2001
Page 44 and 45: HOW TO APPLYApplications for Genera
Page 46 and 47: HOW TO APPLYPAPUA NEW GUINEASecreta
Page 48: Executive SecretaryCommonwealth Sch

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