Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations
Quick Details
Graduate Students in International Affairs
If you have any questions or would like further information about the Rosenthal Fellowship, please email [email protected].
Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations
The Rosenthal Fellowship is a prestigious program that offers our country’s most outstanding and civic-minded graduate students in international affairs the opportunity to spend a summer working to solve some of our biggest national and global challenges.
The program was established in 1977 to honor the memory of Harold Rosenthal, a Senate staff member who was a victim of a terrorist act while on official duty at age 29. The fellowship provides a select number of students with summer funding and work opportunities in a congressional or executive branch office. Fellows will benefit from unparalleled work experience while also participating in an orientation and roundtable discussions.
Fellows are selected based on their outstanding scholarly achievements, commitment to the study of international affairs, extracurricular experience and demonstrated interest in public service. Fellows may receive a summer stipend, an internship opportunity with a congressional or executive branch office, and/or invitations to participate in summer roundtables and events.
The Rosenthal Fellowship is a program of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that strives for a more effective government for the American people.
Colleges or universities should submit all application materials to rpublicservice.force.com/rosenthal/s.
Students, contact your school directly for more information on the nomination process.
Federal agencies or congressional offices, if you are interested in serving as a host office for the Rosenthal Fellowship, contact [email protected].
Eligibility
- One year remaining in an international relations or international affairs graduate program.
- Executive branch positions are available only to U.S. citizens. Dual citizens and non-U.S. citizens may apply for a limited number of congressional positions. Please note that the Fellowship will not provide any assistance in securing visas for non-U.S. citizens.
Application and Nomination Process
Interested students must ask their career or placement office for an application, which the student must return to that office along with:
- Resume.
- Signed letter of recommendation on letterhead stationery from a professor or former work supervisor, providing input on the candidate’s character and aptitude for future success and focusing specifically on the student’s suitability for this fellowship.
- Available undergraduate and/or graduate academic transcripts.
- Two-page original writing sample on a topic in international affairs.
Students should not submit application materials to the program directly.
College or universities should submit all application materials to our online portal.
Summer 2022 Timeline
- October 11, 2021: Applications for the summer 2022 cohort open. Students should check with career or placement offices to learn more about submitting an application.
- December 3, 2021: Nominations are due to the Rosenthal Fellowship selection committee.
- January 24, 2022: Schools submit fall semester transcripts.
- January 28, 2022: Students will be informed if they have been selected as finalists.
- March 1-2, 2022: Virtual interviews conducted.
- March 18, 2022: Selected fellows will be notified of placement.
Fellowship Positions and Funding
Students are encouraged to apply for a summer position in a congressional or executive branch office and pursue funding opportunities while they are being considered for the Rosenthal Fellowship.
Students who already secured a summer position, but no funding, may be eligible for a stipend from the program. Alternatively, students who have funding from another source, but no summer position, may be eligible for a limited number of positions secured by the program. Students who do not have a summer position or funding may receive both from the Rosenthal Fellowship program.
If selected, all students are expected to treat the Rosenthal Fellowship as their first choice for the summer of 2022. Students who successfully attain funding from other sources, including from their host office or their graduate program, are not eligible to receive funding from the Rosenthal Fellowship. For students who are offered Rosenthal Fellowship funding, receipt of that funding is contingent upon successfully completing all requirements to commence the qualifying summer position, including any necessary security clearance requirements.
Students are strongly encouraged to apply for funding opportunities prior to the fellowship as funding from the Rosenthal Fellowship is limited.
FAQs
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e Prospective fellows must be international affairs graduate students who have exhibited outstanding scholarly achievements, commitment to the study of international affairs, and interest in public service. Fellows must have at least one year remaining in their studies following their fellowship.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e Summer positions change each year depending on the needs and space constraints of participating executive branch and congressional offices. In recent years the program has sent finalists to interview with the Office of the Secretary of Defense; various offices at the Department of State, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Labor; the United States Trade Representative; and numerous congressional offices. Each year an increasing number of fellows identify their own positions ahead of the interview process, particularly at the Department of State and in the Intelligence Community.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e Students must apply for the fellowship through their career or placement office at their graduate institution, which will in turn nominate students for the fellowship. The program will review the applications, and a selection committee, made up of public and private sector leaders and program alumni, will interview top candidates to determine finalists. All interviews will be conducted virtually. From there, candidates who have not already secured a summer position will interview with congressional and executive branch offices who will make final selections.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e The interview panel will inform finalists which offices have made positions available and will ask each finalist to identify the offices of greatest interest. While we make every effort to match finalists with the offices of greatest interest, we cannot guarantee that all finalists will be able to interview with their first choice. The hiring offices have ultimate discretion as to whether to extend a summer position to a given finalist.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e The fellowship stipend for 2022 is a minimum of $2,000. For students who are offered Rosenthal Fellowship funding, receipt of that funding is contingent upon successfully completing all requirements to commence the qualifying summer position, including any necessary security clearance requirements. The stipend is generally treated as taxable income.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e Some positions at executive branch departments and agencies may require that fellows hold a security clearance before they begin work. While fellows are usually able to secure an interim clearance by the beginning of the summer, any factors that delay clearance processing could in turn delay a fellow’s ability to begin work. Fellowship positions in congressional offices do not require security clearances.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e Executive branch positions are available only to U.S. citizens. Dual citizens and non-U.S. citizens may apply for a limited number of congressional positions. Please note that the Fellowship will not provide any assistance in securing visas for non-U.S. citizens.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e In addition to a program orientation, each year the Rosenthal Fellowship hosts roundtables with recognized experts on a range of foreign policy issues as well as sessions on career planning and leadership development. Fellows are also encouraged to organize informal lunches, happy hours, and other social occasions.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e After accepting a Rosenthal Fellowship, fellows are expected to treat the program as their first choice for the summer of 2022. Please note that students who successfully attain funding from other sources, including from their host office or their graduate program, are not eligible for funding from the Rosenthal Fellowship.
u003cstrongu003eA: u003c/strongu003eOnce institutions have finalized their nominees, all application materials should be submitted electronically for each student to by December 3, 2021. Applications will be accepted via online portal at u003ca href=u0022https://rpublicservice.force.com/rosenthal/s/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022 aria-label=u0022 (opens in a new tab)u0022u003erpublicservice.force.com/rosenthal/su003c/au003e beginning October 11, 2021. Students should not send application materials to the program directly.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e Each school must submit fall graduate transcripts (unofficial accepted) for nominees as soon as they become available. We understand that this date will vary from school to school, but we ask that transcripts are submitted no later than January 24, 2022. Schools with later grade release dates should notify the Fellowship when nomination documents are submitted.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e If you are interested in serving as a host office for fellows, please contactu003ca href=u0022mailto:[email protected] [email protected]/au003e We are always looking for executive and legislative branch partners that offer meaningful opportunities for fellows to gain direct experience in the field of international relations.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e This program is made possible through the support of individual donors and The Robertson Foundation for Government. Program supporters care deeply about our government and international affairs and national security. We invite you to learn more about supporting this program by contacting u003ca href=u0022mailto:[email protected][email protected]/au003e.
u003cstrongu003eA:u003c/strongu003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph {u0022fontSizeu0022:u0022mediumu0022} u002du002du003ernu003cp class=u0022has-medium-font-sizeu0022u003eThe Rosenthal Fellowship program accepts nominations from accredited graduate programs in international relations. Please contact u003ca [email protected][email protected]/au003e if you are interested in nominating students. The following universities submitted nominations for the Summer 2021 cohort:u003c/pu003ernu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:list {u0022fontSizeu0022:u0022mediumu0022} u002du002du003ernu003cul class=u0022has-medium-font-sizeu0022u003ern tu003cliu003eAmerican University’s School of International Serviceu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eBaruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUniversity of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategyu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eColumbia University’s School of International and Public Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUniversity of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studiesu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eDuke University’s Sanford School of Public Policyu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eGeorgetown University’s School of Foreign Serviceu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eThe Graduate Institute in Genevau003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eGeorge Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eHarvard University’s Kennedy Schoolu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eIowa State University Graduate Collegeu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eJohns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studiesu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eLondon School of Economics and Political Scienceu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUniversity of Kentuckyu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUniversity of Marylandu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUniversity of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policyu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUniversity of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUniversity of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003ePrinceton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eSciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eStanford University Graduate School of Businessu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eSyracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eTufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacyu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUniversity of Wisconsin’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eYale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairsu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernu003c!u002du002d /wp:list u002du002du003e
