Dr. Rachel Vanderhill is preparing for a fellowship that will give her better insight on how the federal government works.
Vanderhill, chair of the Department of Government & International Affairs, has received the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars. She’ll spend next academic year working with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is based in Washington, D.C.
“I hope to gain a better understanding of how USAID functions and how government policy is developed,” says Vanderhill, who is being assigned to the agency’s Center for Democracy, Human Rights and Governance. “I also believe this experience will directly benefit my teaching and advising when I return to Wofford. For example, my experience will enable me to provide Wofford students interested in working in the federal government with better, more specific advice about how to successfully pursue a government career.”
Nine faculty members from colleges and universities across the United States have been selected for the fellowship during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Vanderhill recently published her third book, “Autocracy and Resistance in the Internet Age,” which focuses on social media’s role in aiding and undermining autocratic regimes in the Middle East, North Africa and the former Soviet republics. She’s expecting to do work with USAID related to her research.
“One project I am likely to be working on at USAID is their efforts to develop strategies to counter the rise of authoritarianism around the world,” says Vanderhill. “I am excited about working on this project because of the close connection to my research expertise and because of its importance for American foreign policy, especially given the challenges that the growing influence of Russia and China present for American interests.”
The COVID-19 pandemic’s uncertainty is impacting Vanderhill’s planning for her sabbatical and fellowship.
“The last few years have been unusual and historic in many different ways, including living through a once in a century global pandemic,” says Vanderhill. “The pandemic, like everything else, is making my fellowship situation more complicated. For example, one unanswered question is whether or not people at USAID will be working remotely or in the office in the fall, which has clear implications for my relocation plans.”