Grants for Harvard Students

Summer 2009 Greeley Internship Awarded 

The Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) and Harvard Divinity School (HDS) are pleased to announce that Charles Carstens, an MTS student, has been selected to receive the Dana McLean Greeley International Internship for the summer of 2009. The Greeley International Internship honors the Rev. Dana McLean Greeley, AB '31, STB '33, who believed that people of all backgrounds and faiths are deeply connected to one another and should work together for positive social change. The internship is intended to support interreligious understanding.

Charles Carstens will work with the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Peace, Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Institute's mission is to foster increased mutual appreciation and cooperation among the world's different religious communities; to contribute to greater interreligious and intrareligious understanding among all people everywhere; and to contribute to peace-building and reconciliation efforts in Thailand and throughout the world. The Institute also serves as a center for research into the religion and culture of Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Mr. Carstens will assist John Butt, senior advisor at the Institute, in teaching a comparative course, "Buddhist and Christian Religion," with students drawn from among Buddhist monks at the local Buddhist university and from the International Master of Divinity Program offered by Payap University's McGilvary College of Divinity. He will also support Mark Tamthai, the Institute's current director, in the building of a new international PhD program on religion and peacemaking/peacebuilding. Given Mark Tamthai's role as a leader in conflict resolution in Thailand and South Asia, there are likely to be further opportunities for Charles Carstens to contribute to the Institute's work in religious dialogue, peacemaking, and conflict transformation. After HDS, he hopes to work as an educator specializing in interfaith dialogue, conflict resolution, and development for Theravada Buddhist communities.

Summer 2010 Greeley International Internship

As of November 1, 2009, applications for one summer internship will be accepted from HDS students who wish to intern with an organization outside of the United States that is dedicated to the promotion of interreligious understanding, peace, and social justice. The deadline for 2010 internship applications is  January 29, 2010.  

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for the Greeley internship, a student must:

  • have completed his or her first year at HDS by June; and
  • be continuing studies at HDS in the next academic year in either the MDiv or MTS program.

Preference will be given to students who have exhibited financial need (indicated by receipt of institutional aid at HDS). 

Selection and Award

The selection committee intends to award one stipend of between $3,000 and $4,000 for all costs associated with a summer internship, including airfare, meals, and living expenses. Any costs beyond that amount are the student's responsibility. Three-fourths of the funding will not be available until July 1, 2010.

Applications will be judged on the basis of: 

  • the student's interest in interreligious understanding, peace, and social justice;
  • the strength of the internship proposal; 
  • the student's financial need (judged as whether they are receiving institutional aid at HDS); and
  • the student's academic performance.

The CSWR will perform the initial review of applications. A short list will be assessed by the selection committee, which will be composed of the associate dean for student services, the director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, and one student member to be agreed upon by both directors, along with any appropriate supporting staff. Finalists will be expected to sign an Acknowledgment of Risk and General Release Form (Adobe Reader required).

After selection and before funding, the selected candidate will need to document the host organization's approval of his or her project and learning objectives, as well as the staff member who will supervise the student's work. At the end of the grant period, the grant recipient will be required to submit a written report to the CSWR describing his or her experience and achievements over the summer. During the following academic year, the grant recipient should plan to attend the Greeley Lecture at the CSWR and meet members of the Greeley family and former officers of the Greeley Foundation.

Application Requirements and Deadlines

All applicants must submit:

  • A completed CSWR/HDS Greeley International Internship application form (Adobe Reader required);
  • A letter or email message from the applicant's academic adviser or other Harvard faculty member in support of his/her proposed plans for the summer (to be sent directly to the CSWR by the faculty member); 
  • A copy of the applicant's most recent Harvard grade report (a printout is acceptable);
  • A letter from the host organization documenting approval/support of the applicant as an intern; 
  • A curriculum vitae or résumé;
  • A one- to three-page statement of purpose written by the applicant, describing the proposed internship (the proposed plan of work [objectives, activities, location, dates, rough budget]; how it relates to interreligious understanding, peace, and justice; how your experience has prepared you for this internship; how the internship relates to your vocational/professional goals; and how the project will contribute to your learning as a part of your academic program at HDS).

Students may design their own internships in cooperation with any host organization, as long as the internship contributes to interreligious understanding. The CSWR has begun to compile a list of organizations appropriate to the goals of the Greeley International Internship and which have indicated willingness to accept an intern. These organizations are: 

Additional organizations may be added, so please check this page again. Students interested in any of the above organizations should contact Susan Lloyd McGarry for information on how to reach the appropriate person at the organization. They should then communicate with him or her directly to work out plans for the proposed internship. 

If a student wishes to intern with an organization not on the above list, he or she should also provide:

  • Background information about the host organization adequate to evaluate its appropriateness;
  • An explanation of how the organization's work and the proposed internship relate to the goals of the Greeley internship.

The Pluralism Project's International Resources for Religious Pluralism provides information about several international interfaith organizations, as well as some helpful background. The Human Rights Resources page of Harvard's Committee on Human Rights has listings of organizations working in human rights internationally and links to several websites that may be of interest. The Religions for Peace affiliates page lists many interfaith organizations outside the United States.

The deadline for 2010 internship applications is January 29, 2010. Email applications with PDF attachments are preferred. Faculty recommendations should be sent to Susan Lloyd McGarry.

Applications should be submitted by email (preferred), or by mail or fax to:

Susan Lloyd McGarry, Manager of Planning and Special Projects
Attention: Greeley Internship
Center for the Study of World Religions, 42 Francis Avenue, Cambridge 02138
Tel. 617.496.1608; Fax. 617.496.5411

Susan Lloyd McGarry is also available to answer questions and provide contact information for listed organizations.

Previous Greeley International Intern

Stephanie Almozara, an MDiv candidate, received the first Greeley International Internship. During the summer of 2008, she worked with the Henry Martyn Institute, International Center for Research, Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation (HMI), in Hyderabad, India. As well as finding field placements for post-graduate scholars of conflict resolution, she taught English in community-based projects and participated in organizing workshops on conflict transformation, cooperation, understanding, and peace-building for Hyderabad Hindu and Muslim women. Ms. Almozara plans to work in ministry in higher education.