Service: Ambassadorial Scholars

The Rotary Foundation’s Ambassadorial Scholarship program is the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship program. In 1947, 18 “Rotary Fellows” from 11 countries were selected to serve as ambassadors of goodwill while studying in another country for one academic year. Since that time, approximately $413 million has been expended on some 34,000 scholarships for people from some 110 countries, studying in 105 countries around the world.

The Starkville Rotary Club has hosted a number of Ambassadorial Scholars over the years, the most recent being Makoto Yamamoto, a graduate student in aerospace in 1999. For details about earlier participants from 1985 through 1999, see the “Rotary Scholars” section of the club history.

The purpose of the scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries. Scholars are expected to be outstanding ambassadors of goodwill to the people of the host country through both informal and formal appearances before Rotary and non-Rotary groups. Each scholar is assigned a host Rotarian counselor to facilitate involvement in Rotary and integration into the host culture.

Since 1994–95, the Rotary Foundation has offered two new types of scholarship in addition to the Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholarships. The Multi-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship is awarded for two years of specific degree-oriented study abroad. The Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship provides funding for three or six months of intensive language study and cultural immersion in another country.

In addition to being an investment in the education of tomorrow’s leaders, Rotary Foundation scholarships create personal links between countries and are an important step toward greater understanding and goodwill in the world.