WASHINGTON - The U.S. Institute of Peace is pleased to announce the selection of its 2005-2006 Peace Scholar dissertation fellows, each of whom will receive a $20,000 stipend. The funding will support research addressing conflict in the Congo, Iraq, Palestine, Peru, Sierra Leone, East Asian countries and elsewhere.

The Peace Scholar fellowship recipients represent a diverse array of academic disciplines including political science, psychology, anthropology and others ? and a cross-section of leading universities in the United States.

The Peace Scholar Program is one of the Institute's most competitive. This year's winners were selected in a rigorous competition from more than 180 applicants from 64 universities in 29 states and the District of Columbia. The program is open to any doctoral student, regardless of citizenship, enrolled in an American university and working on a dissertation related to the peaceful resolution of international conflict. Peace Scholars are selected by the Institute's Board of Directors based on recommendations by prominent academic experts and practitioners in fields related to international peace and conflict.

Since 1987, the Institute has awarded nearly 170 Peace Scholar fellowships to students at about 50 universities. Former Peace Scholars continue to pursue successful careers in academia, government service, nongovernmental organizations, and the media. They represent an international network of experts on the analysis, management, and prevention of conflict.

This is the 18th annual Peace Scholar competition sponsored by the Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program of the U.S. Institute of Peace. The program is named in honor of former U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia, a vigorous proponent of the Institute's founding. The Peace Scholar program is part of the Institute's congressional mandate to support research, education, and training about peace and conflict in the international arena.

To learn more about the Institute of Peace or the Peace Scholar program, contact the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at (202) 429-3832 or by e-mail at publicaffairs@usip.org.