Dear Colleagues,

I am the Director of the Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights at Colby College and I would like to solicit your assistance in our annual search for the Oak Human Rights Fellow, which is targeted this year for someone working in the area of HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS.

I have copied the announcement below. You can also access it at http://www.colby.edu/oak.

Each year, we host a human rights professional doing on-the-ground work at some level of personal risk and organize a lecture series around his or her area of expertise. The purpose of the fellowship is to offer activists a respite from their work and spend a semester as a scholar-in-residence at the College, exposing campus community to the issues surrounding the human rights issues on which the Fellow works.

In conducting our annual search, we rely heavily on nominations from NGOs, academics, journalists, and human rights lawyers, since these are the people most likely to know of the work of on-the-ground professionals.

Since you and your organization has been active in working on human rights issues , I would like your assistance in disseminating the announcement to your membership. You should also feel free to nominate anyone or forward the announcement to anyone in the field who could help us.

Whatever assistance you might provide would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get back to me. Thank you in advance.

Ken Rodman

OAK FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights annually hosts an Human Rights Fellow to teach and conduct research while at residence in the College and organizes lectures and other events centered around the fellow's area of expertise. The purpose of the fellowship is to offer an opportunity for prominent practitioners in international human rights to take a sabbatical leave from their work and spend a period of up to a semester as a scholar-in-residence at the College. This provides the Fellow time for reflection,
research, and writing. While all human rights practitioners are eligible, we especially encourage applications from those who are currently or were recently involved in "on-the-ground" work at some level of personal risk. The Oak Fellow's responsibilities include regular meetings with students either through formal classes or informal discussion groups and assistance in shaping a lecture series or symposium associated with the particular aspect of human rights of
interest to the fellow. The fellow also is expected to participate in the intellectual life of the campus and enable our students to work or study with a professional in the human rights field. The Fellow will receive a stipend and College fringe benefits, plus round-trip transportation from the fellow's home site, housing for a family, use of a car, and meals on campus. The Fellow will also receive research support, including office space, secretarial support, computer and
library facilities, and a student assistant. The Fellowship is awarded for the fall semester (Sept.-Dec.) each year. Following the period of the award, the fellow is expected to return to her or his human rights work.

For the fall of 2005, the Oak Institute seeks a human rights practitioner working on health-related human rights issues. Possible areas of expertise may include, but are not limited to: HIV-AIDS, the rehabilitation of torture victims, the treatment of refugees or the victims of landmines, forensic anthropology, combating unsafe health and sanitary conditions, women's health issues, and infant malnutrition and mortality. The successful candidate should have some background in the health sciences or related fields. For more information, see our website at http://www.colby.edu/oak.

Prof. Kenneth A. Rodman
Department of Government
5310 Mayflower Hill Drive
Colby College
Waterville, ME 04901
phone: (207) 872-3270
fax: (207) 872-3263