The Millennium Scholars Program is the premiere scholarship development program of the STAR Scholars Network. The program provides emerging and early career scholars with the opportunity to build the network and knowledge needed to advance their academic careers. The program supports advanced doctoral students and early career scholars (or scholar-practitioners) who identify with a low income, lower-middle income, or upper-middle income country, whether by birth, cultural heritage, or current residence. The program supports participants in disseminating their research and scholarship to a global audience. It is designed around a three-part series of engagements that include professional development, peer-to-peer support, and perspectives from leading scholars.

Format

Knowledge does not exist in us, but rather exists between us and requires dynamic conversation among multiple, engaged audiences. The Millennium Scholars Program uses a network-building approach to facilitate (inter)active engagement across disciplinary, national, and career stages through:

Peer-To-Peer Support

Participants join a multinational community of support that includes cohort members and a mid- or senior-level mentor in the network.

Professional Development

Participants engage in working sessions where they share emerging ideas and drafts of their work to give and receive feedback.

Perspectives Roundtables

Participants participate in events with leading researchers to share perspectives and brainstorm future directions for their work.

We advance upward academic mobility through mentoring across borders to support new generations of scholars.

Goals

The program is designed to support the advancement of doctoral students and early career scholars. It is designed to leverage the power of transnational connection to:

  • facilitate the creation of lifelong peer-support networks across borders;
  • deepen engagement between established scholars in the network;
  • bridge disciplinary and methodological divides to discover connections among researchers and practitioners;
  • build human-to-human relationships that foster future transnational collaborations in research and teaching; and
  • increase the visibility of emerging scholars and the impact of their work.

Eligibility

Doctoral students and career scholars are encouraged to apply if they identify with a country or higher education system country in a low income, lower-middle income, or upper-middle income country. Applicants who teach or research in fields including international education, comparative education, human geography, global studies, linguistics, psychology, sociology, communication, international business, economics, social work, cultural studies, and other related disciplines are welcome to apply.

You are required to become a member of STAR Scholars network community.

Dates

The fellowship runs from 15 January 2025 – 15 April 2025.

Expectations

If you are accepted and choose to participate in the Millennium Scholars Program, you will be expected to:

  • Provide a short bio with a summary of your research interests;
  • Participate in workshops;
  • Attend online monthly check-in sessions with your mentor and peer research group;
  • Dedicate sufficient time to make satisfactory progress on your identified project; 
  • Present your project at the closing symposium where all members in our network learn about your work and celebrate your achievement.

Participants who complete the program will receive a certificate and letter of commendation from the STAR Scholars Network. We also hope you will serve as a mentor for future participants in the Millennium Scholars Program. 

Cost

There is no cost to participate the Millennium Scholars Program due to the generosity of our individual and institutional members who make this possible, so money is never the reason why someone cannot participate in the program.

Application

Applications for the 2025 Millennium Scholars program are now open. The deadline for applications is 1 December 2024. Recipients will be notified by 16 December 2024. The program will run from 15 January 2025 to 15 April 2025. Space is limited. Applicants who are not selected for this year’s cohort will be eligible for future cohorts. 

Submit Application

Questions? Contact Andrea Rakushin Lee at leea@apsu.edu

Mentor a Millennium Scholar

Are you a more established scholar with a record of publication? You are invited to serve as a STAR Research Partner and be matched with an emerging or early career scholar (or scholar-practitioner) selected for the Millennium Scholars Program based on similar research and/or methodological interests.

Call for Mentors