Today, Senator Kerry, Senator Kennedy, and Congressman Lynch announced the allocation of $500,000 for the William Joiner Fellowship Program included in the FY 2006 Science, The Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies Conference Report.  The program is unique in offering fellowship funds for American writers and humanists residing either in the United States or abroad, whose work focuses on issues of local, national, or international conflict. For sixteen years, the William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences at the University of Massachusetts at Boston has promoted many forms of dialogue aimed at acquiring a better understanding of war and its social consequences. The primary focus of the Joiner Center Programs has been the Vietnam War and its impact. However, the Center has touched on areas of conflict around the world.

Senator Kerry said, "We can not afford not to invest in programs that seek solutions and common ground in our local and global community. William Joiner fellows work to understand the underlying causes of conflict so we can look toward peaceful solutions-- this important work must be continued.”

Senator Kennedy said, "Today we face dangerous conflicts across the world, and instruments of diplomacy will be essential to resolving disputes in our increasingly interconnected global community. I’m proud UMASS-Boston is leading the way.”

Congressman Stephen F. Lynch said, "The William Joiner Center stands for global responsibility and leadership in a new era.  I am pleased that the federal government has become a partner in their work, and am grateful to Senators Kennedy and Kerry for their continued efforts on behalf of the Center."

William Joiner Fellowship Program selects fellows on an annual basis and pursues an aggressive campaign to recruit thinkers, writers, and community activists from around the world whose work explores new ways of examining human conflict. Each year, the program seeks to bring together applicants and fellows who represent the wide and rich diversity of local, national and international communities. The program awards between four and twelve fellowships annually.

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