OSI Chevening and Open Society Foundation Maastricht University Mid-Year Conference 2010

The University of Durham hosted the annual OSI Chevening Scholarship Program conference, which also incorporated fellow scholars from the OSF Maastricht University Program. 

The two-day event, centered on the broad theme “The Challenges to Open Society,” gave participants the chance to join in debate training sessions, present to their fellow scholars and to network in the convivial environment of Collingwood College. 

Guests included Carol Levermore from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, OSI’s partners in the Program, as well as Lisa George from the Hansard Society, who presented OSI’s joint internship program run exclusively for OSI Chevening scholars graduating in the current year, and Magda Adamowicz of the OSI Human Rights and Governance Grants Program.

Elena Naumkina from the Higher Educational Support Program spoke on the possibilities for collaboration upon the return home for those pursing careers within academia, as well as an overview of the newly released report from the At Home In Europe Program.  Specific findings from research conducted in Leicester, England, was presented by the project’s consultant, Dilwar Hussein, of the Policy Research Center of the Islamic Foundation.

Program alumni added greatly to the rich environment of the conference.  Damelya Aitkozhina (University of Essex 2004-5) and Haissam Minkara (University of Leeds 2006-7) gave insights into their career trajectories after their scholarship time, which included a current Alumni Grant award for Aitkozhina.

As in previous years, scholars got the chance to hone the debating skills learnt during the Summer School in Istanbul through the tutelage of Gergely Tamasi.  Debates centered on the issues of higher education and the intellectual elite and open societies requiring open borders. The penultimate session included a workshop by Dr. Sophie Howlett of  Central European University on the CEU Special and Extension Programs and a training session on grant proposal writing.

Scholar Presentations

• Challenges to Human Rights Suhrob Shoev, University of Essex
• Should the state allow women to wear headscarf in public institutions? Anjeza Xhaferaj, University of Sussex
• Protracted International Administration Gezim Visoka, University of Sussex
• European Neighbourhood Policy: a case of successful democratic change? Dorina Baltag, Maastricht University