Air Force leaders call for scholarship candidates Published July 20, 2011 By Debbie Gildea Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Airmen who would like to study a foreign language as a full-time student, are interested in a White House fellowship, would like to serve a two-year fellowship in Japan, or would like to compete for an information assurance scholarship have until Aug. 31 to submit an application to the Air Force Personnel Center. "These are great growth and development opportunities for current and future leaders," said Col. David Slade, the AFPC assignments director. "Nomination packages take some time to prepare properly, so if you're interested, you should get started now." The Olmsted Scholar Program is an opportunity for Air Force line officers to study a foreign language at an international university overseas. Candidates selected for the program will experience cultural immersion in the selected country, including university study in the native language. Interested applicants can go to the George and Carol Olmsted Foundation website at www.olmstedfoundation.org for more information about the program. The White House Fellowship Program provides promising leaders with first-hand experience in the American government process. Selected candidates work for a year as special assistants or senior executives to cabinet-level agencies or in the executive office of the president. For more information about the Fellows program, interested applicants can contact their local military personnel section or go to www.whitehouse.gov/about/fellows. Airmen interested in cultural immersion in Japan can look into the Mansfield Fellowship Exchange Program. This fellowship enables federal government employees to develop in-depth understanding of Japan, learn how its government works and develop relationships with their Japanese counterparts. For more information about this two-year program and for application instructions, go to www.mansfieldfdn.org or contact the local personnel section. To meet the growing need for qualified information assurance personnel, the Department of Defense has established the Information Assurance Scholarship Program. Eligible candidates could earn master's degrees in cyber operations, information resource management, or doctorate degrees in electrical or computer engineering. The scholarship program covers tuition, fees and books, with follow-on placement based on Air Force needs. For more information, contact the local military personnel section. For more information about developmental opportunities and other personnel issues, visit the Air Force personnel services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.