ambassador speeches

Remarks by the Ambassador at the Launch of the “Czech-American Award for Talented Students”

Brno, September 28, 2005

Good morning.  It is a pleasure to be here today among so many distinguished guests in support of educational promise, and achievement, in the Czech Republic.  I am proud to announce today the creation of the “Czech-American Award for Talented Students” – an academic competition for undergraduate and graduate students interested in writing a scholastic work, suitable for publication, on a U.S.-related topic.  The U.S. Embassy has joined with the Fulbright Commission and the International Institute of Political Science at the Masaryk University to cooperate on the establishment of, and selection process for, this competition, which we hope will become a prestigious award for serious students with strong interests in the fields of American Studies.

The United States is a large and diverse country, with many different areas of possible interest to students.  For that reason, we have designed the award to encompass a broad range of topics, which will rotate annually.  These topics will include:  Political Science and International Relations; Sociology and Economics; and History, Culture and Education.  The winner of the award will receive a 10,000 Czech crown cash prize and his or her written composition will be published as a serious academic work.  In addition, a selected group of finalists will receive vouchers for TOEFL and GRE tests from the Fulbright Commission of the Czech Republic. 

Our goal in establishing this competition is to support young and talented students and to encourage them in their scholastic achievements.  This is a nationwide competition open to all students.  Together with our partners, we hope to launch promising young scholars of American Studies on to further professional and academic careers.  This competition will allow students to present the results of their own research while they are still in the process of completing their studies, rather than waiting until after graduation.  At the same time, supporting scholars of American Studies topics provides an important cross-cultural mechanism which will build on the strong relations between our two countries. 

Finally, stressing the importance of education and preparation of the young people of today for the challenges of the 21st century is a priority for both of our countries.  We are proud to be working with such dedicated partners to further these important goals with the Czech students today.  I would like to close with an old proverb, which sums up this project in better words than I can express.  “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”  Today, we are launching a project of a lifetime.  Thank you for your attention.