US-Ireland Alliance

State Reverses

August 1, 2012.  We are happy to report that the Department of State has reversed its decision to eliminate funding for the George J. Mitchell Scholarship program. 

First and foremost for prospective applicants – you may apply, we will hold the selection process this fall as previously outlined on our website 

In a meeting at the Department of State this week we were informed that State will provide funds to assure that a class of 2014 will be selected this fall.  Discussions about the level of funding will continue with our supporters on Capitol Hill but we are assured of a floor amount that allows us to commit to scholar applicants.

Thank you to each of you who have supported our campaign to date – it is always great to see who our supporters are.  We will continue our campaign and would welcome more signatures on our petition: http://bit.ly/Lhjrvy. The support to date from Members of Congress, the nearly 1200 who have signed our petition, and those who have written letters, op-eds and articles, have had an impact.

While this is good news, there is much more to be done both in the near term on the exact level of funding and in the long term as well.  We will continue to work to raise the endowment as quickly as is reasonable in the current economic climate.  We hope to find support from individuals, corporations and foundations who care about Ireland and/or educating America’s future leaders which is crucial given the challenges and opportunities ahead. 

If you have any suggestions, as always, we welcome them.

We will keep you informed as we move forward.  Again, thanks to all of those who are supporting the Mitchell Scholarship program.  It is greatly appreciated.