Contents Description FAQs Download the application (Word document) What past fellows have to say If you have questions Visit Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement Website

Every year the Mine Action Information Center offers a fellowship to a JMU student or recent graduate. The Frasure-Kruzel-Drew Memorial Fellowship for Humanitarian Demining is a paid position with the U.S. Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. The fellowship was established in 1999 to raise awareness among the American people about landmine contamination around the world and U.S. government efforts to address the problem. It is named in honor of Ambassador Robert C. Frasure, Dr. Joseph J. Kruzel and Colonel Samuel Nelson Drew who lost their lives in an August 1995 automobile accident in Bosnia and Herzegovina while on a mission to help end the conflict there.

The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) was established in 1998 and supports the mission of the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program. The Program has assisted almost 50 countries since its inception and works closely with other U. S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PM/WRA also handles U.S. policy on anti-personnel landmines, small arms/light weapons, and MANPADS (Man-portable Air Defense Systems).

Duties of the Fellow might include assisting program managers with a mine action and conventional weapons destruction program for one or more countries; writing press releases and creating various publications; doing issue research; preparing speeches, PowerPoint presentations and talking points; creating Web pages; working with staff on current projects; and traveling on policy assessment visits. Most recently, the Fellow has helped program managers develop country plans for mine action.

Aside from being one of the few fellowship opportunities at the State Department that is paid, it is the only one of its kind that allows the Fellow the possibility to travel. Past Fellows have traveled to places such as Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Djibouti, Peru, Senegal and Sudan.

The application process is about to begin for next year's position which will extend from approximately July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. The application deadline is December 4, 2009 for this highly competitive position.

TO APPLY: submit your resume, along with the completed application form (download available above), an unofficial transcript, and two letters of recommendation, to the Mine Action Information Center by 4:30p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2009. Application packets may be mailed (MSC 4902, 800 South Main St., Harrisonburg, VA, 22807) or delivered in person (1401 Technology Drive, Suite 120, Room 1153, Harrisonburg, VA, 22802).

Please note: The selected student must qualify for a SECRET security clearance. Clearance guidelines are strict, and past drug use, including marijuana, can be grounds for rejection. Actual start date of fellowship depends on when security clearance is received.

For more information about the Frasure-Kruzel-Drew Memorial Fellowship for Humanitarian Demining, click here.

Fellowship FAQs

Where will the fellow work?	Washington, D.C.
What are the dates of the fellowship?	July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011
Is this fellowship a paid position?	Yes! The pay is $15.10 per hour.
How many hours will I work per week?	40. This is a full-time position.
Does the position provide health insurance?	Some funds are available to reimburse the cost of private health insurance.
Will I earn credit hours?	Yes! You can earn internship credit toward your degree program.
Who is eligible to apply?	All JMU students and recent graduates are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to seniors, graduate students, and recent graduates.
By when must I submit my application packet?	We must have your application by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2009.
When will I know if I've been selected for an interview?	Applications will be reviewed in December, and selected interviewees will be contacted in early January. The new Fellow will be named shortly thereafter.

If you have questions:

Contact the Fellowship Coordinator, Dr. Suzanne Fiederlein, at the Mine Action Information Center.

Email Address	fiedersl@jmu.edu
Phone Number	540.568.2715
Fax Number	540.568.8176
Address	James Madison University MSC 4902 1401 Technology Dr., Suite 120, Room 1153 Harrisonburg, Virginia, 22807 USA

For more information about the establishment of the Fellowship, see this short article printed in the Journal of Mine Action, Issue 4.1, Spring 2000.

Also see a Journal of Mine Action article about the Fellowship and some of its past recipients published in August 2002, available at: http://maic.jmu.edu/journal/6.2/notes/davidhartley
/davidhartley.htm.

For more information about the three men whom the Memorial Fellowship honors, read their biographies as posted on the Website of the Arlington National Cemetery where they are buried.

Robert C. Frasure: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rfrasure.htm

Joseph J. Kruzel: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jkrunzel.htm

Samuel Nelson Drew: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/sndrew.htm

The men were honored by the American Foreign Service Association and their names added to the Memorial Plaques in the C Street Lobby, Truman Building, US Department of State.

About the AFSA Memorial Plaques: http://www.afsa.org/plaques.cfm
AFSA Memorial Plaques name list: http://www.afsa.org/plaquelist.cfm