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Dear Fulbright Committee

     I gladly write this letter to recommend Michael Hauben to 
you. Michael is one of those rare students whose presence in a 
class makes a substantial difference to the other students and 
the teacher. He brings into his studies and research years of participation in
computer networking developments and his search for understanding the
impact that the Net will have on all the institutions of society. 
In particular, Michael brought his understanding of Netizens into 
his computers and writing classwork with me. In my class Michael 
undertook to launch a Netizens Association electronic mailing 
list. Not only did he do all the necessary technical work, his 
initial invitations to join the list and first posts insured that 
the project attracted a broad and active cross section of
Netizens. Through his research, Michael discovered there are Netizens,
people who act already as citizens of the world by developing the
global computer communications network. These netizens 
may very well be the seeds of a new worldwide connection
of people.

     I have found Michael to be a solid person who unassumingly 
involves himself in the work of a class while enriching it at the 
same time. In some ways he represents the best products of
America's educational system. If you were to grant him a 
Fulbright Fellowship I believe his year in the Netherlands would 
do the Dutch people who meet him, Michael himself, and the image 
of America, great good.

     I have heard from Michael about his proposed project to
study and report back to me and others about the effect so far of
information and communications technologies on the efforts at
democratization, especially at the local level. I am encouraged
to know about the democratization efforts using the new
communications medium in the Netherlands. There appears to be in
the Netherlands advanced study connecting my field with policy
and governance questions. The Netherlands therefore is a good
place for Michael to undertake a project combining his interests
in communications and democratizing trends. The project that
Michael outlines is one that he can complete within an academic
year and his work on the Netizens Association List project demonstrates
he has the needed skills and research methods to successfully
carry out his Fulbright project.

     I have known Michael for about one year as one of his
teachers and I am now supervising Michael's field work among
elementary school students. Michael's efforts to bring newsgroup
activities to school students is a part of his effort to see Net
access become universal. I look forward to the results of his
work with these school children this semester. I see a close
connection with this work and his proposed study of the efforts
to utilize the communications aspects of the Net to further the
process of democratization in the Netherlands.

     I hope my recommendation of Michael gains from you serious
consideration of this young scholar's candidacy for a Fulbright
fellowship.

     Thank you.

[unknow author]