Special Note: The application period for the 2008-2010 Public Intellectuals Program has now closed. Applicants will be notified of final selections by May 30, 2008.

The Public Intellectuals Program (PIP), launched by the National Committee in 2005, is dedicated to nurturing a new generation of China specialists who, in the tradition of earlier China hands, have the interest and potential to venture outside of academia and play significant roles as public intellectuals.

Through a varied set of activities spread out over two-and-a-half years, the program helps twenty young American scholars and specialists working in various disciplines to expand their knowledge of China beyond their own interests, by introducing them to other each other as well as to other specialists from outside their fields. By requiring each of the Fellows to organize a public outreach program, the PIP also encourages them to actively use their knowledge to inform policy and public opinion.

Other program activities for the inaugural class of PIP Fellows consisted of two Washington, D.C.-based workshops on U.S.-China relations, including government briefings and media training; participation in one of two ten-day study tours to China; and participation in a National Committee-sponsored conference or delegation in the United States or China as a scholar-escort.

The Public Intellectuals Program is an enrichment opportunity intended to complement participants' primary academic or professional positions; stipends are not provided, but costs are covered. The program offers unique opportunities for professional development, mentoring by senior scholars, networking, and exposure. PIP Fellows gain access to senior policymakers and experts in both the United States and China, and to individuals and fields they would not typically be exposed to, including, for instance, the emerging business and nonprofit sectors in China, as well as to media representatives. The program’s ultimate objective is to upgrade the quality of American public understanding of China by strengthening links among U.S. academics, policymakers, and opinion leaders.