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Purpose

The R-Adhikarya “Niche” Award is a token of appreciation and recognition for smart, innovative, and competitive young people who wish to further pursue their dreams to learn, explore, and apply disruptive ideas and “niche” innovative thinking in their studies and future careers.

The Award will help encourage, motivate, and increase the confidence of promising students to explore unique and unusual – as opposed to “more-of-the-same” competencies and solutions in their future careers. It is to reward those who dare to think differently, and are interested in studying and solving important contemporary problems and/or future societal needs/wants not currently being considered or significantly addressed by others. It supports young visionaries to develop a “Growth Mindset“.

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The Awards

The competitive Award will be offered annually to students at three (3) world-class US educational institutions: the East-West Center (EWC), Stanford University, and Cornell University.

  1. The East-West Center (EWC), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
    One (1) Award (initially) is offered annually for graduate study, either as:

    • Award-1a + EWC Graduate Degree Fellowship: Total Value: US$103,000; The Award will provide US$10,000 in cash, and EWC will provide housing, books, insurance, & stipends (valued at US$26,000 total for two years), plus Tuition Fees at the University of Hawai’i (UH) for 2 years (valued at US$67,000); OR
    • Award-1b + EWC Foundation Scholarship: Total Value: US$56,000; The Award and EWC will provide US$10,000 each in cash, plus a reduction in Tuition Fees at the University of Hawaii (UH) for 2 years (valued at US$36,000).
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  2. Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
    One (1) Award     (initially) will be offered annually for undergraduate study. Eligible Undergraduate Students who are accepted to and enroll at Stanford University will be automatically considered to receive US$12,500 cash from the Ronny Adhikarya Undergraduate Scholarship, plus a financial aid package (valued at around US$60,000 or more) from Stanford  University.
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  3. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
    One (1) Award annually for graduate study of US$10,000 cash minimum, plus Financial Aid Awards (est. valued at US$70,000 or more) from Cornell’s Department of Global Development for MPS or Ph.D. Students.

In addition, the RANA Prize is offered to two (2) participants annually (for Free Tuition of US$1,000 each) to the COMBI Institute’s Communication for Behavioral Impact (Combi) Professional Development program (an 8-day Learning Event) in Indonesia, in collaboration with the City University of New York (CUNY).

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Awards Donor

Dr. Ronny Adhikarya and his wife, Mee-Ching, decided to set up funding for these Annual Awards from their estate. Ronny Adhikarya, born in Bogor, Indonesia, was a student activist and a journalist in Indonesia until he went to the US for his studies: Cornell for his master’s (1971-72) and Stanford for his Ph.D. (1977- 80). He was fortunate to obtain full-fellowships (including stipends for living costs) from the two universities. He worked as a research staff at the East-West Center (EWC) starting in 1972, where he met pioneers and international luminaries in his field of expertise (education & communication) who mentored and provided him with invaluable “tacit” knowledge and intellectual capital to continue his international development assistance career in many countries, mainly with the United Nations/FAO and the World Bank, and other institutions for more than 45 years. It’s now “Pay-Back/Give-Back” time!

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Eligibility

The following are the eligibility and requirements for applying and competing for the Awards:

  1. The East-West Center (EWC): Read: “East-West Center Ranks among World’s Best Think Tanks“
    • Must be admitted to a graduate degree program at the University of Hawai’i (UH), and be selected for the EWC’s Graduate Degree Fellowship or EWC’s Foundation Scholarship.
    • Students from Indonesia or any other students whose proposed study/research has significant relevance to, or have a high affinity to, Indonesia may apply. Those from ASEAN and Legal Residents of Hawaii will be given preference.
    • Participate in the RANA Award Competition, whose Winner will be selected by an International Selection Committee (Independent from the Award Donor).
  2. Stanford University:
    • Must be admitted and enrolled as an Undergraduate Student at Stanford University.
    • Indonesian Students (or those with a strong affinity to Indonesia) are given preference, but other students from any country, esp. from ASEAN, may also be considered.
    • Eligible students will be automatically considered for the scholarship as part of their overall financial aid package. The scholarship recipient will be selected by Stanford University’s Financial Aid Office, independent from the scholarship donor.
  3. Cornell University:
    • Must be admitted and matriculated for Graduate Degree Studies within Cornell University’s Dept of Global Development of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at the time of application.
    • Students who have lived, worked, or conducted research in Indonesia are given preference, but students from any country, especially from ASEAN and/or those with a strong affinity to Indonesia, will also be considered.
    • Must apply for Cornell University’s RANA Prize, and the Award Winner will be selected by Cornell University’s Dept of Global Development (Independent from the Award Donor).
    • Note: Dept. of Global Development will seek to award admitted MPS students during ODD years (i.e., 2025, 2027, etc.) and Ph.D. students during EVEN years (i.e., 2026, 2028, etc.).

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Application Procedures

  1. The East-West Center (EWC):
    • Complete both applications for: (a) the EWC’s Graduate Degree Fellowship (GDF), and (b) the University of Hawaii’s graduate school, no later than Dec. 1, each year, at these links/URLs: East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship and the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Graduate Division.
    • Students must submit an application to EWC and to the UH Graduate Division. Confirmation of submission of Departmental UH application, TOEFL scores, transcripts, and reference letters must arrive at the EWC by January 10, each year. See the GDF Handbook on the “How to Apply”.
    • After completing the two applications mentioned in section V(1)(i), complete the application for the R-Adhikarya “Niche” Award (which will be reviewed by an International Selection Committee), no later than March 13, each year, through RANA-Prize.org.
  2. Stanford University:
    • Apply to Stanford University, gain admission, and enroll as an undergraduate student. Eligible students will be automatically considered for the scholarship as part of their overall financial aid package. See Stanford University’s website or contact Stanford University’s Financial Aid Office with any questions.
    • Contact Kiroyan Partners, if you are notified by the Stanford Financial Aid Office that you have received the scholarship for further instructions.
  3. Cornell University:
  4. The COMBI Institute:
    • Applicants for the RANA Prize at the COMBI’s Professional Development Program should contact and submit an application form to:  Dr. Everold Hosein, Course Coordinator, via e-mail to: Everold@gmail.com or Everold@combiinstitute.org.

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Selection Process

  1. Stanford University
    For the Ronny Adhikarya Undergraduate Scholarship at Stanford University, the Stanford Financial Aid Office will select the scholarship recipient independently from the scholarship donor.
  2. Cornell University
    For the R-Adhikarya “NICHE” Award at Cornell University, the Department of Global Development will make the assessment and select the Award Recipient.
  3. The East-West Center
    For the R-Adhikarya “NICHE” Award at the East-West Center, an International Selection Committee (ISC) will review, evaluate, and select the Award Recipient, based on nominations of qualified candidates by the East-West Center. In implementing its work, the ISC is Independent from the Award Donor.

The ISC consists of five (5) Members from the 10 International Advisory Board (IAB) Members who serve voluntarily for a 5-year term. All ISC/IAB Members are prominent professionals with international working experience, including in the ASEAN countries.

  1. International Selection Committee Members (with Voting Rights), for the period of 2026-2030:
    • Ms. Nina MAPILI (Chair, IAB/ISC, and Voting Member),
      has worked internationally for over 20 years to promote entrepreneurial excellence, thinking, and action in businesses and individuals.
      She is the former CEO and MD of Mapili GmbH in Germany, and founder of the Journey to Excellence (J2Ex) program for organizational and personal excellence. Originally an architect trained in the US and Germany, she also once managed Germany’s first international master’s program. She has worked extensively in Southern Africa and Asia, and is now based in Switzerland.
    • Associate Prof. Dr. Eric WIBISONO (Secretary, IAB/ISC, and Voting Member),
      is Dean, Faculty of Engineering at University of Surabaya (UBAYA) in Indonesia.
      He did his Master’s and Ph.D. studies in Australia and Thailand, and served as Secretary General of the World Bank’s Knowledge Utilization through Learning Technology (KULT) Program Consortium.
    • Prof. Dr. Norbert GRÜNWALD (Voting Member),
      is ex-Rector/President of Wismar Univ. of Technology, Business and Design in Germany.
      He is a former Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and Director of the Robert-Schmidt-Inst. at the Faculty of Engineering at Wismar Univ., Germany. He is now the Vice President of a University in Douala, Cameroon.
    • Dr. Delia Rarela-BARCELONA (Voting Member),
      served as a high-level official at UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), rising from Senior Technical Adviser, then Country Representative in Mongolia, and Deputy Regional Director for the Arab States in Cairo, and finally as Chief of Staff for the UNFPA Exec. Director in New York, USA, where she has now retired.
      Before her United Nations career, she taught and was Dean at Univ. of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication, in Manila, the Philippines, where she now still serves as a “Flying Professor.” She is also the Secretary of the Vienna-based Global Federation of Associations of Former International Civil Servants (FAFICS), and holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago.
    • Prof. Dr. Arvind SINGHAL (Voting Member),
      is the Marston Endowed Professor and the Director of the Social Justice Initiative at The University of Texas at El Paso, USA.
      He is also appointed, since 2010, as the William J. Clinton Distinguished Fellow at the Clinton School of Public Service, Little Rock, Arkansas, and since 2015, Distinguished Professor 2, Faculty of Business Admin, Inland Univ. of Applied Sciences, Norway. He is co-author/editor of 14 books, on Positive Deviance (PD), Educ.-Entertainment (EduTainment), and Liberating Structures, etc.XX
  2. International Advisory Board (IAB) Members (without Voting Rights), for 2026-2030:
    • The Honorable Pat Loui (Member),
      The Honorable Patricia “Pat” M. Loui is an international business and economic development executive who has worked to help grow Indo-Pacific markets for global multinationals and enhance relations with the U.S. A prominent entrepreneur, Pat Loui is Founder and Chair/CEO of Omnitrak, one of the largest survey/research & marketing consulting companies in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA for many decades.
      Pat Loui is currently Treasurer of The Asia Foundation, which has offices in 18 countries. President Obama appointed Pat Loui to the full-time board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (EXIM), where she served from 2011 to 2015. At EXIM, she led negotiations to expand the U.S.-China Strategic Framework sovereign guarantee agreement significantly and contributed to the growth of its ASEAN portfolio. Before EXIM, Secretary of State Clinton appointed her to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2011 Leaders Week Executive Committee. A graduate of Northwestern University and the University of Hawai‘i, while on a State Department grant to the East-West Center, she has also served as a major bank’s Chief Marketing Officer and as a United Nations consultant in Asia.
    • Dr. Everold Hosein (ex-Officio Member),
      is the founder/President of the COMBI Institute, which has offered an international professional development training in Communication for Behavioral Impact (Combi), a strategic attitude & behavioral change approach, adopted by UN/World Health Organization (WHO) since 2000. He has served as Senior Comm. Advisor for the WHO in Geneva, and Communication Consultant for UNICEF/UNFPA/UNWOMEN/UNDP/UNEP, with 50 years of professional experience. Dr. Hosein, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, now resides in Indiana, USA, and has worked in 150 countries.As a Distinguished Scholar at City Univ. of New York/School of Public Health, Dr. Hosein has worked as Prof./Coordinator, WHO-New York Univ.’s Summer Inst. on Integrated Marketing Comm. for Behavioral Impact in Health/Social Development. Formerly, he was Senior Counselor for Social Development at Burson-Marsteller Public Relations/New York. Before that, he served as Director of Programme Support at International Planned Parenthood Federation, New York. He was the Director of the Univ. of the West Indies Institute of Mass Communication/Jamaica. He received his Ph.D. in 1973 from Univ. of Michigan.
    • Ms. Ann HARTMAN (ex-Officio Member),
      is Dean, Education Program at the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
      She is an expert in international education and has held many important educational positions working esp. with students, young leaders, and women entrepreneurs, in Asia and the USA, She also served for the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Bulgaria.
    • Prof. Dr. Lori LEONARD (ex-Officio Member),
      is Professor and Senior Associate Dean, College of Agri. & Life Sciences (CALS), also ex-Chair of the Dept. of Global Development at Cornell Univ., Ithaca, New York, USA.
      Her scholarship centers on environmental themes, incl. extractivism, waste, and achieving circularity in food systems. She was previously on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and held fellowships at the Bellagio Center of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Center, and the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. She served in the Peace Corps in the Dem. Republic of the Congo and in Chad.
    • Mr. Noke KIROYAN (ex-Officio Member),
      is the Founder of Kiroyan Partners in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, and also Advisor to the Indonesia – Australia Business Council. He was previously President Director of Rio Tinto, Indonesia, and PT Newmont Pacific Nusantara, as well as ex-CEO of Salim OleoChemicals in the USA, and was a Representative for the Salim Group in Germany & Australia. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of USINDO (US-Indonesia Society).
    • The Honorable Dr. Gene WARD,
      is the Minority Leader (Emeritus) at the House of Representatives, State of Hawaii (Legislature), USA, where he had served for more than 20 years.
      Dr. Ward was a Research Associate at the East- West Center’s Technology & Development Institute in the 1970s. He is a Director of the Hawaii-Indonesia Chamber of Commerce (HICHAM) and was Co-Founder of the Hawaii Entrepreneurship Training & Development Institute. A Vietnam Veteran, Dr. Ward also served as Peace Corps Country Director in East Timor, and worked for the United Nations/ILO in Malawi. Dr. Ward is also a Member of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center.
    • Plus the 5 International Selection Committee (ISC) Members (with Voting Rights, see above).

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Implementing Agency: KIROYAN PARTNERS

Kiroyan Partners, a leading Public Affairs consulting firm, has agreed to partner in this endeavor by providing free Public Service support to coordinate and implement the communication, publicity, and marketing activities of the Award, as well as coordinating and maintaining the internal communication platform for the IAB/ISC members.

For all inquiries on these Awards, please contact the following:
Kiroyan Partners
Verlyana “Veve” Hitipeuw (veve.hitipeuw@kiroyan-partners.com) and/or
Made Intan Iswari Satria (intan.iswari@kiroyan-partners.com)

Download the updated RANA Awards Prospectus here.

DOWNLOAD FILE
RANA Announcement Brochure (download)

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