Applications

Official Program Announcement – South and Central Asia‐region Professional Fellows Program (SCA PFP) on Economic Empowerment

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the United States
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State
Implemented by the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication in collaboration with partners in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Application deadline: September 15, 2025

Dear Applicant,

Through a three-decade partnership with the U.S. Department of State, the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord College has played a pivotal role in advancing American interests and values in South Asia. By engaging with students, media professionals, and entrepreneurs, these public diplomacy initiatives have fostered a deeper understanding of American principles and strengthened ties between the U.S. and South Asian nations. As a result, the University of Oklahoma has become a symbol of American excellence and partnership in the region, and has contributed toward the community and businesses in Oklahoma. By building bridges with emerging leaders and promoting mutual understanding, Gaylord College and the Ronnie K. Irani Center are helping to fortify America's global position and ensure a brighter future for the country and its communities.

Once again, Gaylord College is partnering with the U.S. Department of State, and an in-country partner in four respective countries to host an approximately six-week-long United States program for international mid-career professionals that includes a fellowship placement at an American business or organization. The University of Oklahoma-implemented “South and Central Asia (SCA) Professional Fellows Program on Economic Empowerment” is currently planned for May–June 2026. Participating countries are: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the United States.

This program, funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), will place mid-career rising leaders working in small or start-up business ventures, business administration, government, NGOs, business education, incubation hubs and community training programs into businesses or organizations in Oklahoma and associate them with one of America’s leading universities. The program aims to provide professional experience and training that will nurture participants’ talent and prepare them for more responsible leadership positions in their businesses, communities and society in general as they return to their respective countries. In addition, the program will provide U.S.-based business stakeholders an opportunity to collaborate with their foreign counterparts as they participate in an approximately two-week-long American Outbound Program to the respective countries between December 2026 and March 2027.

Successful applicants will be placed in fellowship placements with Oklahoman businesses or organizations for approximately four weeks. The first week of the program will be spent at both the placement and on the University of Oklahoma campus where participants will participate in lectures, discussions and practical sessions focused on the role of entrepreneurship, economic development and small business in society, the importance of budgeting, business plans, strategic communication, leadership and management principles, social media developments, the business/government interface and business ethics. The final portion of the program will be spent in Washington, D.C. where participants will visit their respective embassies and tour some of the cultural activities the city has to offer. Participants will also engage with business stakeholders in Washington, D.C., before leaving for their home countries.

Through this program, participants will:

• Be exposed to the day-to-day workings of U.S. businesses or organizations;
• Gain exposure to a variety of American businesses and organizations in Oklahoma and Washington, D.C.;
• Get a conceptual and practical foundation for integrating themselves into the American business environment through conceptual lectures, discussions and exercises to expose them to concepts related to budgeting, business plans, strategic communication, leadership and management principles, social media developments, the business/government interface, intellectual property, contracts and business ethics;
• Enhance their leadership skills to facilitate positive change in their workplaces and communities as they develop personally and professionally;
• Participate in weekly face-to-face feedback sessions with University of Oklahoma faculty to reflect on their professional experiences for that week;
• Be exposed to a variety of business networks in Oklahoma designed to support start-up companies and to governmental/media institutions that can influence business;
• Be exposed to rich cultural experiences that represent Oklahoma’s unique environment;
• Become acquainted with the communities in the Oklahoma City/Tulsa metro area;
• Be exposed to networking opportunities with U.S. placement organizations and partner organizations;
• Get connected to a network of alumni of previous Professional Fellows Programs, professional placement organizations, and university faculty to facilitate ongoing discussion and exchange through social networking; and
• Have the opportunity to reconnect with Oklahoma stakeholders who will participate in American Outbound Programs to the four South Asian participating countries.

Participant selection criteria:

• Be mid-career rising leaders in either government, civil society or the private sector in one of the four South Asian participating countries who have demonstrated expertise in economic empowerment and entrepreneurial/small business development;
• Be interested in experiencing hands-on the activities in a U.S. business or organization;
• Be committed to the importance of a sustainable and empowering business sector;
• Be proficient in written and spoken English as the entire exchange program and professional placements will be conducted in English;
• Be computer-literate;
• Be between the ages of 25 and 40.

In selecting participants, the grantee organization and its in-country partners will also give preference to candidates who are:

• Self-directed;
• Able to work independently, as well as in a teamwork environment;
• Able to adjust to changing cultural settings and environments;
• Rising leaders in their profession and their community;
• Genuinely interested in developing and/or expanding on an individual project of their own selection in their home workplace or community; and
• Innovative and open to new ideas.

Additional program requirements include:

• Ability to travel without family members (including children) or other individuals (relatives, friends);
• A guarantee that participants will, at all times, comply with all program requirements and program activities.
• A commitment to comply with the J-1 visa requirement that exchange program participants return to their respective home countries for two years of residency after the exchange program concludes.

If you are interested in applying for this program, fill out the questions that follow in the subsequent pages of this online application form. Note that all answers, application and supporting material MUST be provided in English. The deadline for submitting the online application is September 15, 2025. The grantee organization and in-country partner will review applications from September 30, 2025 onward and set up in-person interviews with a shortlist of candidates in the respective countries in November 2025.

We look forward to receiving your application and to your potential participation in this exciting program.

Sincerely,
Elanie Steyn
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma

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