2:06 p.m., June 21, 2007--UD's Center for International Studies (CFIS) is hosting 24 professionals, scholars, politicians and political advisers from Argentina who are participating in the 2007 Fulbright Argentina Institute on Leadership and American Studies at UD from June 3-July 1.

Sponsored by the Fulbright Argentina Commission, the institute is funded by a $125,000 grant from the U.S. State Department.

“We are delighted that the Fulbright Commission of Argentina, upon the recommendation of the State Department, has selected UD to host the institute,” Lesa Griffiths, CFIS director, said.

Group members arrived four months before national elections in Argentina. Their academic and one-on-one experiences at the institute are expected to inspire a deeper understanding of democracy and the electoral process, and provide them with additional skills to employ in their campaign activities and beyond.

Participants have been attending seminars and discussions about the U.S. political system led by UD faculty and experiencing the real thing with day trips to Dover and Philadelphia and a week-long trip to Washington, D.C. They have met with Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, Speaker of the Delaware House Terry R. Spence and President Pro Tempore of the Senate Thurman Adams Jr., as well as with members of Delaware's Congressional delegation.

Julio F. Carrión, associate professor of political science and international relations and director of Latin American Studies at UD, has been overseeing the academic component of the institute, and Audrey Helfman, associate professor of urban affairs and associate policy scientist with the Institute for Public Administration, has been conducting interactive sessions in leadership skills designed to enable participants to become more effective in civic engagement in their local, national, regional and global communities.

The group will leave campus on June 25 for the last leg of the institute, a week in Washington D.C.

Photos by Kevin Quinlan