GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program

GE Foundation announces the Polish winners

April 22, 2008

The GE Foundation and the Institute of International Education (IIE) announced today the 15 Polish winners of its regional Scholar-Leaders university scholarship program for the fifth, anniversary, year in a row.

The 15 Polish Scholar-Leaders are awarded a €3000 scholarship (€1000 annually for three years). In addition, they will also participate in supplemental activities including an international Leadership Development Program and a “Shadowing-day” spent with a GE manager. Students are also expected to engage in community volunteerism as part of their award. An independent commission evaluated and selected winners based on a combination of excellent academic accomplishments, remarkable extracurricular activities and other skills, such as involvement in student activities, volunteering, community activities and leadership skills.

“Education has always been of crucial importance for GE, since for every country the quality of education influences the future to a great extent. For four years we have focused on the development of human capital in Central Europe through several innovative educational programs funded by the GE Foundation and supported by GE volunteers. We consider education and creating new opportunitiers for young people to be even more important today than ever before. Poland needs to be competitive on the education and labour market compered to other European countries which attract many young people. Last year we developed and ran successfully another unique educational program in the region: the GE Foundation’s Life Skills for Employability program. This program develops employability skills by supplementing the secondary school curriculum. We decided to develop these educational initiatives because GE – one of the major global investors and employers in the CEE region and a good corporate citizen – wants to contribute to the development of the communities where we live and work in meaningful ways” – explained Leslaw Kuzaj Regional Executive, GE Central Europe, handing over the awards at a public ceremony held at the Library of the University of Warsaw.

“In addition to individual support to students in Poland and other countries, the GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program also fosters the formation of a Central European network of young intellectuals, a phenomenon vitally important for the continued development and integration of the region” – said Daniel M. Roberts, Director of the European Office of IIE in his opening speech.

“Education is a strategic area of interest, since for every country, the quality of education helps build a strong and diverse workforce for the future. I am very pleased to see that GE not only provides the funding for its innovative programs but with the help of its local leaders, it shares some of the global company’s unique knowledge with Central European young talents. These programs, which can be adapted by other companies and countries, provide much more than traditional scholarships and play a vital role in the development of the region”, said Roman Rewald, President of the American Chamber of Commerce.

Ambassador Ashe remarked, “General Electric has set a high standard of excellence for corporate citizenship in Poland. The name of this scholarship program – Scholar-Leaders – reflects the importance of supporting future leaders who in turn will give back to their communities, following GE’s corporate model on an individual level.”

With the success of the program in Hungary in 2002, the university scholarship program has developed regionally over the past six years. The program is in its fifth, anniversary, year in Poland, sixth year in Hungary, fourth year in the Czech Republic, and in its second year in Romania. Funded by a generous grant from the GE Foundation, to date 75 students from Poland, and 251 students from the region (including this year’s winners) have benefited from the Scholar-Leaders Program, the first university scholarship of its kind in Central Europe. The best university students from the region were recruited and selected through a rigorous and competitive selection process by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

“The GE Scholarship brought great opportunities for me. It’s a great chance to meet people from other countries of Europe, to improve your English knowledge, and to become a leader with social responsibility.” – said GE Foundation Scholar-Leader alumna, Dominika Siwak from the first program year in Poland.

The 2008 Polish scholarship winners of the GE Foundation Scholar Leaders Program

The students and guests were addressed by distinguished speakers, including Leslaw Kuzaj (GE Regional Executive for Central Europe), U.S. Ambassador Victor Ashe, Daniel M. Roberts (Director of the European Office of the Institute of International Education), Danuta Czarnecka, (Deputy Director, Department of International Co-operation, Ministry of Science and Higher Education), Andrzej Dakowski (Executive Director of the Polish – U.S. Fulbright Commission), and Roman Rewald (President, American Chamber of Commerce in Poland). A program alumna, Maja Kozak, also spoke about her experience with the program.