WSU seeks young, Detroit-area professionals for fellowship in Europe

 Do you know a young professional in metro Detroit with the talent and vision of a future leader? Wayne State University would like you to nominate this person for a 2014-15 Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) — a three-week opportunity to explore politics, business, innovation and culture in Europe.


Administered by the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States, the MMF promotes an exchange of ideas, solutions and best practices between young American and European professionals through a travel immersion experience. Selected by the Kresge Foundation in 2010 to work with GMF as a regional MMF selection partner, Wayne State chooses Detroit-area fellows each year to travel to Europe and also hosts European fellows during their time in the United States. The Detroit program is funded through a Kresge Foundation grant.

Wayne State is inviting nominations for 2014-15 MMF fellows from the Detroit area. Candidates should work or live primarily in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, be between the ages of 28 and 40, be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, and be available to travel in Europe for 24 consecutive days in either October 2014 or March 2015. Nominations must be submitted online to GMF by 3 p.m. EDT on Nov. 1.

Both candidates and nominators are subject to restrictions, so nominators are urged to review complete MMF program details, including nomination and selection criteria here. 

Administrators from WSU’s Office of Educational Outreach and International Programs will review Detroit-area nominations, looking for candidates with an outstanding record of achievement in their profession, a proven record of effective civic engagement, and potential for lifelong learning and continued leadership development. Candidates should not already have resided for an extensive period of time on the other side of the Atlantic.

“The Marshall Memorial Fellowship is one of the most prestigious and worthwhile experiences available to young leaders in Metropolitan Detroit,” said Ahmad Ezzeddine, WSU associate vice president for educational outreach and international programs. “By traveling to multiple cities in Europe and engaging with European professionals who are tackling similar challenges, our fellows are exposed to and learn from experiences that could be applied at home. The fellowship also helps shape their perspective on the role they play in the revitalization of Detroit, while giving them an opportunity to share their Detroit experiences with their European counterparts.”

Last year’s Detroit-area MMF fellows were Nicole de Beaufort, vice president of communications and community engagement for Excellent Schools Detroit; Kirk Mayes, executive director of Detroit’s Brightmoor Alliance; Marlowe Stoudamire, project director of strategic development and corporate planning for Henry Ford Health System; Mike Medow, co-director of Allied Media Projects; and Carina Yanish, chief operations officer for Mariners Inn.