OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS IN FRENCH COLLEGES

Twenty-five fellowships to French Universities are offered by the American Field Service to open competition among graduates of American colleges.

The purpose of this move is not only to provide an enduring memorial for the 127 Field Service men who lost their lives in the war, but to perpetuate among future generations of French and American youth the mutual understanding and fraternity which marked Franco-American relations during the World War. To this end, an organization called the American Field Service Fellowships for French Universities, embracing the former Society for American Fellowships in French Universities, has been established. This organization proposes to award fellowships for advance study in France to students selected from American colleges, university and technical establishments, and occasional fellowships for French students in American universities. These fellowships will, when endowed, be named after the men of the Field Service who died in France.

To Stimulate Interest in French Learning

It has long been felt that advanced American students, when continuing their studies in Europe, have not availed themselves to any adequate extent of the great advantages offered by the French Universities in every branch of science and learning. A main reason has been be cause these have not been sufficiently brought to their attention. It is therefore proposed to encourage the development of a body of university scholars who by personal acquaintance with French achievements will be in a position to restore in all branches of American public opinion the just status of French science and learning.

The graduate of an American college who desires to proceed to an advanced degree will find that a French university degree, equivalent in standing to the American Ph.D., can now be obtained in all of the faculties of the University of Paris and all the other 16 French universities, while opportunities for study in the specialized national and independent institutions are also available to him.

Need $3,175,000 Endowment

A permanent endowment for a fellowship requires $25,000, and the endowment of 127 fellowships will require $3,175,000, the greater part of which must be obtained through the generosity of friends. The trustees of the old Field Service have obtained from the courts authority to devote to this purpose the fund remaining in their hands (about 2,400,000 francs) and have voted that toward the first 12 fellowships raised in memory of Field Service men who died in the war; $12,500 shall be contributed from this fund to each $12,500 raised by any individuals or committees. The fellowships for 1921-22, not to exceed 25 in number, will be of the value of $200 plus 10,000 francs, and will be tenable for one year. They will be renewable for another year upon application, provided circumstances warrant it.

The fellowships are offered in some 30 general fields, embracing practically all the arts and sciences. The candidate may choose his field, but it must usually be one in which he has already shown proficiency. The fellowships are offered in the universities, faculties and other institutions of higher learning in Paris, Aix-Marseille, Alger, Besancon, Bordeaux, Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nancy, Poitiers, Rennes, Strasbourg or Toulouse. The candidate may designate his choice, but the Advisory Board strongly recommends the desirability of a period of residence in a provincial university as being the best place to acquire the language.

Five Requirements for Eligibility

To be eligible a candidate must have five requirements. First, he must be a citizen of the United States or of one of the United States' possessions. Second, in the absence of an absolute age rule, preference will in all cases be given to candidates between the ages of 20 and 30 years. Third, he must be a graduate of a college of recognized standing or of a professional school requiring three years of study for a degree; or else he must be 24 years of age and have spent five years' work in requiring like technical skill. In the fourth place he must be of good moral character and intellectual ability, and of suitable personal qualities. Lastly, he must have a practical ability to use French books, both in general and special fields.

Applications for the coming year should reach the secretary of the society not later than January 1st, 1921. Successful candidates will be expected to sail to France about July 1. Application blanks and further information will be furnished by the Secretary, Dr. I. L. Kamdel, 522 Fifth avenue, New York.