UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 5, Page 9
September 29, 1994
University selected host of Nicaraguan education project

     The University of Delaware has been chosen to train a highly
select group of young men and women from Nicaragua in the field of
food science, as part of the Nicaraguan Peace Scholarship Program
(NPSP).
     The 18-month training program, which is contracted through
Georgetown University and funded by the United States Agency for
International Development, will begin in January, under the
administration of the English Language Institute (ELI), in cooperation
with the Department of Food Science.
     The nine male and six female students share the common
disadvantage of having their educations interrupted by Nicaragua's
protracted civil war.
     The field of food science was chosen by NPSP as being
particularly appropriate for Nicaraguan scholarship recipients, since
there is immediate potential for employment upon their return to
Nicaragua and food science technicians can contribute to Nicaragua's
agricultural and overall economic development.
     According to Scott Stevens, ELI director and project supervisor,
the Nicaraguan students will spend their first semester in an
intensive, broadly based program of academic and cultural instruction,
including a full-time intensive English program at the ELI. The
project also includes an "Experience America" component- designed to
familiarize them with the American culture, lifestyle and value
system, G.E.D. preparation and extensive opportunities for involvement
with community service and volunteer organizations.  During the second
semester of the program, participants will begin their studies in food
science, anchored by a special series of courses designed and taught
by Latin American development expert Mir Islam, professor of food
science. According to Grant Wolf, ELI academic coordinator for the
program, community support for this program is important. Visiting
students will be housed by local families, whose contributions will be
considered invaluable to the success and well-being of the
participants.
     Community service organizations and local churches that might be
interested in sponsoring two or more Nicaraguans are being sought, not
only to provide lodging and hospitality for the scholarship
participants, but also to provide them with opportunities to volunteer
and gain experience in local service projects.
     Interested individuals or representatives of organizations should
contact Wolf at 831-1809, for further information on the program, the
foreign student participants and available stipends.