  |
AIYS
Organization,
Facilities,
and Programs |
|
1. AIYS Administrative Structure and Facilities
Administrative Structure
AIYS, a not-for-profit (501(c)3) consortium of scholarly institutions, was founded in 1977. It is
governed by officers elected by a Board of Directors. Specific programs are
the responsibility of designated committees. Day-to-day oversight of AIYS activities is provided in
the U.S. by the AIYS Executive Director and in Yemen by the AIYS
Resident Director in Sana'a.
AIYS is a member of the Council of American Overseas
Research Centers (CAORC) and of the Middle East
Studies Association of North America (MESA).
Program Facilities in Yemen
AIYS facilities in Sana'a contain the AIYS office, library, and reading, meeting,
and working rooms, as well
as the AIYS hostel. Researchers who are individual members of AIYS
can stay at the hostel for short periods or for the duration of a long
research project. AIYS members who are hostel guests may arrange
with the AIYS Resident Director to be met when upon arrival at the
Sana'a airport.
The AIYS library, which is open to the public as well as
to AIYS-affiliated researchers, has some 4000 books and a
large collection of articles and is becoming one of the
best basic collections in Yemen. It contains most of the
serious scholarly works by Yemenis and non-Yemenis, as well
as many books produced throughout and about Yemen, including
a collection of Yemeni schoolbooks. There are also government
reports, statistics, and laws from pre-unification North and
South Yemen and from the unified state since 1990, as well
as maps related to both North and South Yemen. The library
also has a significant collection of development studies on
topics such as urban and regional planning, agricultural
production, health and family, etc. AIYS' collection of
more than 170 dissertations dealing with Yemen gathers in
one place an extensive body of research on Yemen not
otherwise accessible; an effort is now being made to
identify and acquire also the dissertations produced in
Eastern Europe by scholars from South Yemen before the
unification.
Sources of Support
AIYS derives its funding from the dues of institutional and individual members, from
individual and corporate donations in cash and in kind, and from grants made by private
foundations and public agencies. The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs supports AIYS programs through its umbrella grant for American Overseas
Research Centers. The U.S. Department of
Education provides program support through an administrative infrastructure grant made under
Title VI of the Higher Education Act (American Overseas Research Centers Program). The support
of all these entities is essential to the continued and effective operation of AIYS, and is
gratefully acknowledged. For information on how to become an institutional member of AIYS,
contact the AIYS office. To apply for individual membership in AIYS,
click here.
2. Programs
AIYS was established to foster research in and about Yemen to utilize American academic talent
to strengthen Yemeni scholarship, and to promote US-Yemeni understanding.
Fellowships
The American Institute for Yemeni Studies currently conducts three annual competitions for fellowship
programs that support in-country residence and research in Yemen. Two of these competitions, one for
U.S. citizens and one for citizens of Yemen, are funded by the AIYS' ECA grant through the Council
for American Overseas Research Centers. Both competitions have strict eligibility requirements that
must be met before applications may be submitted. In addition AIYS participates in the Mellon Foundation's
fellowship program for post-doctoral scholars in East European countries. Detailed information on all
currently-funded programs is given in the fellowship section. Before
inquiring about the fellowship program, please check there to make sure that you meet the
requirements for the program in which you are interested.
Scholarly Research Support Program
Through a series of formal protocol agreements concluded with the Yemen Center for Studies
and Research (YCSR) and the General Organization of Antiquities, and Museums (GOAM) AIYS is the
official intermediary between all U.S. researchers and research projects and agencies of the
Yemeni government, regardless of who funds or sponsors that research. A full range of support
services is offered to all U.S. researchers in Yemen.
Other Programs
The balance of AIYS' programs are primarily either documentation programs (including
publications of research on Yemen, translations of source materials, and cultural heritage
initiatives) or outreach programs of various kinds, aimed both at experts and at a larger
audience, in the U.S. as well as abroad. Many of these programs are described on this site.
Contact information for AIYS:
In the U.S.:
| |
Dr. Maria deJ. Ellis, Executive Director
American Institute for Yemeni Studies
P.O. Box 311
Ardmore PA 19003-0311
(610) 896-5412, fax (610) 896-9049
E-mail: aiys@aiys.org |
In Yemen:
| |
Dr. Christopher M. Edens, Resident Director
American Institute for Yemeni Studies
P.O. Box 2658
Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
(967)-1-278-816, fax (967)-1-285-071
E-mail: aiysyem@y.net.ye |
top of page
