Brittingham Memorial Scholarship & Apeland Scholarship

The Brittingham Viking Organization offers the opportunity to study at a top US university—the University of Wisconsin, Madison, during the summer of 2008. You will develop an understanding of American society, make lifelong friends, become part of a unique network and leave your fingerprint as a reminder of our country.

You are a Norwegian citizen, studying at a college or university in Norway. You are a person with high values, integrity, energy and a strong sense of responsibility. You have an excellent academic record and fluent communication skills in English and Norwegian. You have an interest in international relations as well as in a variety of areas outside your academic field. You can prove commitment through extracurricular activities or community involvement.

This scholarship emphasizes interaction abilities, thus you have excellent social skills and an open personality. In total, you have the necessary leadership qualities required to become a proud representative of our country and Norwegian society within the Brittingham Viking Organization. When receiving the scholarship, you embrace the opportunity to become a lifelong member of our organization, committed to the continued success of our program after your return from the US.

In 1953 Thomas Brittingham Jr, a philanthropist and investor, initiated a scholarship program by bringing two students from each of the four Nordic countries to his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin, for a one‐year period. Tom believed that international understanding can be achieved only by building personal relationships between people. His great interest in the Nordic countries was deepened when he reinvented the investment strategy for the Nobel Foundation, greatly increasing the value of the funds and obtaining an extensive network in the Nordic countries. While in the Nordic countries, he personally interviewed and selected scholars with leadership skills that could continue to deepen the contact between the Nrdic region and the US. The recipients of the scholarship, the Vikings, have formed a body called the Brittingham Viking Organization (BVO), which constitutes a close network. Today’s Vikings, comprising over 200 former scholars, can be found in top positions in business, education, politics and government in the Nordic countries as well as in the US.

Every year, the Vikings meet at an annual convention, recently for the 50th anniversary convention in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to gatherings for the annual conventions, you, if selected, will meet the American Vikings while traveling around in the US during your scholarship year, making life‐long friends within the organization.

The city of Madison is the capital of Wisconsin and it has about 200,000 inhabitants. It is totally dominated by the university and its more than 40 000 students. The University of Wisconsin, Madison, has an excellent reputation in a number of academic fields, including law, engineering, political science, medicine, sociology et cetera. In the field of business, University of Wisconsin – Madison, tied with Harvard University for first place in educating the most Chief Executive Officers of companies included in Standard Poorʹs 500 Index (Bloomberg CEO Survey, July 30th, 2004.).

Please direct questions to Therese Alfsen (+47 92 42 51 49) or bvo.norway@gmail.com.