McCloskey Fund

McCloskey Fund

This fund commemorates the life and work of former Bloomington mayor, Indiana Congressman, and REEI alumnus Frank McCloskey, who dedicated himself to the advancement of peace and democracy in the Balkans. The fund supports a biennial exchange program that sends an IU student to study in the Balkans and a student or scholar from the Balkans to study in Bloomington and Washington, DC.

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Frank McCloskey represented Indiana's 8th District in Congress from 1983 to 1995. As a congressman, he took a passionate interest in the tragic conflicts of the former Yugoslavia. Withstanding the resistance of his party and the White House, McCloskey persistently advocated for US action to stop the genocide in former Yugoslavia. His efforts in large part spurred US involvement in the diplomatic process that culminated in the signing of the Dayton Accords in 1995. After an unsuccessful re-election campaign in 1994, McCloskey devoted all his energies to the cause of ending ethnic strife in the Balkans, making six trips to Bosnia and serving the National Democratic Institute as Kosovo Director.

The McCloskey Fund honors and perpetuates Frank McCloskey's memory through the McCloskey Fellowship, an exchange program between the United States and countries of the former Yugoslavia for scholars and civil activists committed to his vision of peace and freedom in the Balkans. McCloskey Fellows from the Balkans travel to the United States, for work on a project that addresses democratic change in the Balkans as scholars-in-residence at Indiana University. McCloskey Fellows from Indiana University travel to the Balkans to pursue internships or field research in the area. The McCloskey Fellowship is jointly administered by the National Democratic Institute and the Russian and East European Institute (REEI) at Indiana University.