The Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program Celebrates its 20th anniversary 832 alumni from 11 countries 9 months of the study at Polish Universities 2 – 4 weeks of internships in public and private institutions cooperation with 5 best Polish academic centers For 20 years, the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program has been providing one- year stays at Polish universities for young professionals from Eastern Europe, Cen- tral Asia, and the Southern Caucasus. Its primary objective is to share Poland’s experience of systemic transformation with the citizens of other countries. The Program was established in 2000 by the Polish-American Freedom Foun- dation (PAFF), and since 2016 has been administered by the Leaders of Change Foundation. It is financed by PAFF, and co-financed by the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). The scholarship is open to individuals who have higher education and have at least two years of professional experience. We are looking for people who are ready to use the knowledge and skills they acquire in Poland to benefit economic development and social change in their own countries. The areas of study open to scholars are law, administration, international relations, economics, and manage- ment. We always try to adapt our scholarship offer to the needs of the participants and the changing times, so, in the next academic year we will also be offering studies in the fields of environmental protection, crisis management, and security (including digital security). 20 years of the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program 115 The geographical scope of the Program is also expanding. The first edition was addressed exclusively to candidates from Ukraine, but now the Program hosts citizens from 11 countries. Within the current edition (2019/20), scholars from Uz- bekistan and Tajikistan are taking part in the Program. Also among the Program’s alumni have been representatives of Slovakia and Lithuania – these two neighboring countries were covered by the Program until Poland joined the European Union. The scholarship holders conduct their study according to individual scientific programs, under the supervision of a scientific supervisor, in one of five academ- ic centers – Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, or Lublin. The Program co-op- erates with a large number of universities in each of these cities. We primarily cooperate with leading uni- The geographical versities, but also economic, pedagogical, natural sci- scope of the program ences, and technical institutions of higher education. We try to adjust study profiles in a way that best suits is expanding. It now the candidates’ needs by also establishing co-opera- hosts citizens from tion with highly specialised universities. For exam- ple, in the 2018/19 edition a scholarship holder who 11 countries. planned to develop a network of volunteer fire brigades in Ukraine studied at the Central School of Fire Service. In addition to courses at universities, the scholarship holders carry out intern- ships at central and local government institutions, non-governmental organiza- tions, and research centers. The contacts they make here often result in later joint 116 20 years of the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program projects. One of these contacts led to a partnership agreement between the schol- arship holder’s home town of Bashtanka, and the Polish town of Solec Kujawski. As part of their co-operation, a development strategy for Bashtanka, based on Polish experience, was developed, with both sides then jointly supporting other Ukrain- ian municipalities in preparing their development documents. We are happy that for many of our scholarship holders, their stay in Poland is not only another step in the development of their personal careers, but also becomes the inspiration for changes in their home communities and countries. Based on his scholarship experience, one of our alumni from Ternopil introduced a waste segregation system in his city; while another of For many our alumni, a civil servant from Vyshneve, near Kyiv, scholarship initiated the launch of an e-administration system in holders, their stay his municipality. During the course of the scholarship we pay at- in Poland becomes tention not only to scholarly achievements, but also an inspiration for encourage our participants to become committed, change in their pro-socially oriented people who know Poland and the home communities. Polish language, who act to benefit good neighbourly relations based on mutual understanding, and who will be Poland’s advocates in their countries of origin. As an example of some of our alumnae demonstrating these qualities, on their initiative a Polish language center was established at the Academy of Agriculture in Poltava. 20 years of the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program 117 Although our alumni return to their own countries we always maintain con- tact with them. One of the ways we do this is by offering an extensive program of post-study activities, which includes alumni conferences as one of its elements. This year the conference will be part of the Kirkland Program’s 20th anniversary. For this occasion, we have also prepared this section of New Eastern Europe in which selected Kirkland alumni write about their countries and the changes taking place in them. The section opens with an interview with Andrew Nagorski, who is an American journalist and expert on the region, but also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation – the founder of the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program. We wish you an interesting reading! The Lane Kirkland Program Team The transformation as a learning process A conversation with Andrew Nagorski, journalist, writer and chairman of the board of directors of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. Interviewer: Iwona Reichardt IWONA REICHARDT: Let us start with and glasnost. Nowadays the assessment of the memories of a reporter. For many years, Gorbachev’s reforms is mixed, especially in you were working for the American press. Russia. How do you remember this period? When was your first encounter with the First of all I would say the real chang- communist system here in the region? es started even earlier. Poland and 1980 ANDREW NAGORSKI: My first were key, as well as all the failed revo- encounter was as an exchange student lutions before: the Prague Spring, the at the Jagiellonian University in 1968. Hungarian Uprising, and so on. I believe After graduating from college and teach- the Solidarity movement was formed ing history in the United States, I joined from a real pressure to change the sys- Newsweek in 1973. Eventually I ended up tem at a time when the system still did being stationed in Moscow from 1981, not want to be changed. There was the but after 14 months the Kremlin decided whole philosophy of Václav Havel to they did not want me and expelled me. build up the power of the powerless, At that point I went to Rome where I and smaller dissident movements like was covering the Vatican, including Pope Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia and the John Paul II. As lovely as that assign- democratic opposition in Hungary. You ment was, I really wanted to get back to could see change brewing in this region. covering this region. I ended up going I remember coming back to Poland for to our regional hub in Bonn in 1985 and some time in 1985 after being kicked out from there I started going in and out of of the Soviet Union. I had the chance to all the countries of the then Soviet Bloc. do an interview with Zbigniew Bujak, a leader of the underground Solidarity, We tend to assign the transition to 1989, who at that point was still one of the but of course it started with perestroika most wanted men in Poland. I was in- The transformation as a learning process 20 years of the Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program 119 structed to show up on such and such a people and rounding them up in militia street in Warsaw at six in the evening. cars. In other words, at that point there So I went out to one of the street corners was still an attempt to completely su- and somebody showed up, a man whose press the movement. name I would find out only later – Zbig- Many years later I was interviewing niew Lewicki. We went to a building on Stanisław Ciosek who was one the leading one side through the courtyard, on the figures of the Round Table representing other side a car pulled up, we jumped the government. He said that during that in, drove around and they let us out in period it was as if they were flying a plane front of another building. We then went and supposedly in charge, but suddenly through the courtyard and undertook one engine went out, then two engines, another series of manoeuvres to throw three engines, four engines, and at one off anyone who was following us. By the point they were just trying to land the time we got out to some apartment build- plane without killing themselves. It was ings I was not quite sure where we were. not that they wanted to have this transi- I went up to this apartment and after a tion, but they knew that something had couple of minutes this young man with to change politically and economically, a big beard came in. His face looked fa- the whole place was imploding. miliar: it was Bujak, with a fake beard. In 1995 I had the chance to spend a That was 1985, and despite the amount few days with Gorbachev when I was of political repression, the Jaruzelski re- stationed in Moscow again. During his gime would later try to say that they were tenure he had satisfied no one: the peo- “managing the transition”.