2004 Programs and Events

Ambassador's Scholarship Fund Provides Scholarships for Lao Students (Nov. 17, 2004)

Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach presents a check for the U.S. Ambassador's Scholarship Fund to Thongsone Phoutsavat and Virginia Van Ostrand, Directors of the Lao-American College, at the Lao-American Center, located at the Lao-American College.

The U.S. Embassy, Vientiane, is pleased to announce that it has established the "U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship Fund" to provide scholarships to Lao students studying at the Lao-American College.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy and the Directors of the Lao-American College will jointly select scholarship recipients on the basis of academic achievements, potential, and need. The purpose of the scholarships is to provide financial assistance to students or applicants of outstanding potential who are unable to enroll or to continue enrolling because of financial need.

At a ceremony on November 17, Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach handed over a check for $2,500 to Virginia Van Ostrand and Thongsone Phoutsavat, Co-Directors of the Lao-American College. Additional donations will be made as needed to replenish the Fund as scholarships are awarded. Approximately five scholarships will be awarded each year for tuition, books and other study materials, and, in some cases, living expenses.

The U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship Fund was set up in partial celebration of International Education Week. In her Welcoming Remarks at the Handover Ceremony, U.S. Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach noted the importance of education for both individuals in Laos and for the future development of the country itself. She noted that Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States, recently observed that, “The most important gift we can give our children is the gift most likely to lead to future peace and prosperity. That is the gift of a good education.”

The Lao-American College is the first and only tertiary educational institution in Laos founded by an American citizen. The college was founded in 1993 as the Lao-American Language Center. In 1997, the school was awarded college status, and became a Lao-American partnership. Today, the Lao-American college is a Bachelor Degree-awarding institution, approved and licensed to do so by the Lao Ministry of Education. It now also includes a high school and in December will include a preschool program.