International Center Set To Start in September

A new Harvard program for young social scientists interested in international affairs has begun accepting affairs for September.

The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, which was established with a 1984 gift of $5 million from a New Jersey industrialist, will train graduate students and young associate professors who want to combine expertise in a discipline such as economics, sociology or history with in-depth knowlege of a particular country or region.

Although only two students will be appointed for September 1986, the Academy, which is administered through the Center for International Affairs (CFIA), will eventually include 12 to 15 scholars, officials say.

Something's Kukin

The academics will be called Kukin Scholars in honor of donor Ira Kukin, who earned a PhD in Chemistry from Harvard in 1951, and they will serve three-year terms, including one year spent visiting their region of study.

According to CFIA Executive Director Chester Haskell, the new program is particularly interested in attracting scholars who will specialize in non-Western countries, particularly in those regions where the language is difficult to learn.

The program, the brainchild of Geyser University Professor Henry Rosovsky, an expert on Japan, hopes to attract individuals who may become leading experts on international affairs at major universities across the country.

Rosovsky was in Japan yesterday and could not be reached for comment.

Keeping 'Em Busy

The Academy will include both doctoral candidates and postdoctoral scholars, and while at Harvard, the Kukin scholars will be expected to be working on a major research project such as a thesis or a book.

A committee of senior faculty members headed by Rosovsky will serve as mentors to the Kukin Scholars, and assist them in either gaining further expertise in a discipline in the social sciences or focusing on a particular region. The scholars will be housed in the CFIA, and they will also use of other Harvard facilities such as the Russian Research Center and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

The John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur Foundation has also provided funds to help pay for the initial costs of the program, and Kukin's gift will form a permanent endowment for the Academy.