Q and A Clarke DS Fellowship 5.2 (1).docx

Questions and Answers – May 2, 2022

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

BUREAU OF GLOBAL TALENT MANAGEMENT

OFFICE OF TALENT ACQUISITION

2023 William D. Clarke, Sr. Diplomatic Security Fellowship Program

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY #: SFOP0008706

1. Q: I have seen that there is an age limit for DSSAs 20 to 36. For this fellowship opportunity, is this same age range applicable or given a two-year master’s degree and 5 year commitment to serve is the age range smaller such as 21 to 30 for example?

Response: The age range is the same.

2. Q: The 2023 cohort would commence their master’s degree education in the Fall of 2023 or could it be earlier such as January 2023?

Response: Fall 2023.

3. Q: How long is the ideal application to 3-day orientation period? I see that the Pickering Fellowship timeline starts in the summer and finalists are selected by late November. I have learned that the timeline keeps being shortened. Our concern is that if it is too short, you run the risk of not reaching students whose schools start later. For example, UC San Diego Fall classes start in late September.

Response: The timeline has not been confirmed yet. However, we do not expect outreach to be confined to the school year. Our Diplomats in Residence and online recruiting efforts ensure that students can access fellowship information even when school is not in session.

4. Q: How long ideally does the Interview panel require to vet the applications winnowing them down to the semi-finalists and then finalists?

Response: Depends on number of applications. Usually allow a month to a month and a half.

5. Q: Does an applicant have to have completed the GRE or GMAT by the application deadline?

Response: No, applicants do not have to complete the GRE or GMAT by the application deadline.

6. Q: Can current military and police officers apply for the fellowship program? Both of these groups, especially veterans leaving the military for civilian careers, would bring the knowledge, skills and abilities (experience), postings overseas, and an expeditionary mindset to the program.

Response: Yes, if they meet the eligibility requirements.

7. Q: With COVID, many universities and colleges moved to pass/fail grading. How does this impact cumulative GPA computations?

Response: We will use the GPA provided by the college or university even if some classes were moved to pass/fail.

8. Q: How large of an applicant pool and semi-finalist pool are you expecting/prefer? For example, Pickering has a semi-finalist pool of 90 and awards 45 fellowships.

Response: This program will award at least 8 fellowships for the 2023 cohort. We expect to identify 16 finalists and select 8 fellows from the finalists.

9. Q: Is there a State Department in-house mentoring program in place (or would there be one in time for these fellows)? Apparently for the Pickering fellows, one was created especially for them.

Response: Fellows will be assigned a DS Special Agent to serve as their mentor after they are selected from the program.

10. Q: What is the time commitment of fellows for the first and second summer practicums – a month each, two months, three?

Response: 10 weeks each.

11. Q: Are there any partner schools already identified that would/could provide Clarke fellows with supplemental funding assistance?

Response: No schools have offered or have been identified.

12. Q: Is the writing document to be reviewed and scored by the Writing Panel written as a timed proctored writing assignment during the orientation period or is it assigned as part of the application and submitted ahead of time with the application? If it is written and submitted as part of the application, how can you be sure the applicant wrote it?

Response: The writing assessment is not part of the application process, nor does it take place during orientation. The writing assessment is a timed, proctored assignment that finalists complete in conjunction with the structure interview for selection.