Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program Inaugurated in Krakow

The 2004-2005 Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program was inaugurated on September 17, 2004 in Krakow. The program is sponsored by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation and operated in cooperation with the Polish-American Fulbright Commission. The program's goal is to foster continued democratic and economic reform in Central and Eastern Europe through training and the direct interaction of young leaders from the region. The United States Consul General in Krakow, Kenneth Fairfax, participated in the inaugural ceremony. 50 young people from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Georgia and Moldova will study at Polish universities in the 2004-2005 academic year. Their specialties range from public administration to business and politics. Lane Kirkland (1922-1999) was the president of the American trade unions association (AFL-CIO) from 1979 to 1995. He funneled more than $6 million in aid to Polish workers in the form of cash and communications equipment. This aid was considered instrumental in Solidarity's successful effort to end 50 years of Communist Party rule in Poland. In 1994, Kirkland's efforts were recognized when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Links: Lane Kirkland Scholarship Program (in Polish)

All photos © Jagiellonian University

[Po polsku]