Now funded: U.S.-Iceland exchange program
Graduate student applications to be accepted this fall

Photo by Anne Matthews

There are many places in Iceland that students can explore including this nature reserve, Thorsmörk, in southern Iceland.

By Sheri Trice
Thanks to a collaborative effort between the United States and Iceland, a scholarship exchange program for graduate students from both countries is now sufficiently funded at $3.5 million and will begin accepting applications this September.

U.S. students interested in advanced study and research in Iceland, and Icelandic students interested in similar study and research in the United States can apply this fall for Leifur Eiriksson Foundation scholarships, to cover tuition and living expenses. The first scholar-ships to be awarded will be for study beginning in fall 2007.

Both countries offer rich educational opportunities, but the cost of studying in either country can be expensive. For American students studying in Iceland, for example, the remote republic offers the chance to conduct research and scholarship in the areas of genetics, the environment and literature, among others. Yet, while “higher education [in Iceland] is free, the cost of living is very high there,” said Susan Harris, assistant to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Leonard Sandridge.

The educational collaboration has an unusual — and U.Va.-connected — history.

In 1999, to help celebrate the upcoming 1,000th anniversary of Leifur Eiriksson's discovery of North America, U.S. Congress passed legislation authorizing the joint minting and sale of two coins — one a U.S. commemorative coin and one a silver Icelandic coin. A $10 surcharge per each coin minted and sold was collected to support the creation of an educational exchange program between the countries.

The surcharges were paid to the Leifur Eiriksson Foundation, which was created with the assistance of the University of Virginia in 2001 at the request of the government of Iceland and Congressional staff members involved in the drafting of the 1999 legislation. The foundation’s first board of directors was chaired by the now late Robert Kellogg, medieval Icelandic literature scholar and former Arts & Sciences dean. President John T. Casteen III and former U.Va. English professor Donald Fry serve on the current board, as well as the former prime minister of Iceland, Steingrimur Hermannsson, and two other Icelandic representatives.

More than 170,000 U.S. coins and 100,000 Icelandic coins were sold, yielding in excess of $2.8 million for the scholarship fund. An additional $700,000 in gifts from corporations and individuals also was raised, bringing the scholarship fund to approximately $3.5 million.

Look for more information later this month on the foundation's Web site at http://www.leifureirikssonfoundation.org.