ANN ARBOR—The nation’s first fellowship program in sports reporting was announced today (April 28) as 12 American journalists and four from abroad were named Michigan Journalism Fellows for academic year 1995-96.

The Fellowships provide tuition and stipends totaling of Michigan’s units, or any combination of them.

” Our studies show that a sabbatical year of study is the most effective means of keeping the best people in a business that loses more than half of those who enter it,” says Fellowships Director Charles R. Eisendrath, a U-M professor and former Time foreign correspondent.

Those selected, and their areas of interest, are:

Tim Wendel, 39, editor, USA Today Baseball Weekly. The Gospel and the games: when religion and sports collide.

Marilee Enge, 33, reporter, Anchorage Daily News. Law and anthropology.

Jack Fischer, 41, staff writer, San Jose Mercury News. The American press and the limits of public discourse.

Daniel Froomkin, 31, education reporter, Orange County Register.Education in communities.

Merrill Goozner, 47, Tokyo Bureau chief, Chicago Tribune.China studies.

Loretta Hieber, 32, Swiss Radio International. Worldwide refugee crisis.

David Hilzenrath, 29, reporter, The Washington Post. Social influences on biotechnology and genetic medicine.

Terril Jones, 36, Paris correspondent, Associated Press.China and the auto industry as a development strategy.

Elizabeth Kastor, 35, staff writer, The Washington Post.Child psychology and children’s issues.

Elizabeth Kavetas, 34, producer, NBC News ” Dateline. ” Behavioral psychology and women’s studies.

Randolph Smith, 41, business writer and columnist, Philadelphia Daily News. How federal budget-balancing and Medicare/Social Security shortfalls will affect Americans.

Tom Stanton, 34, editor and publisher, The Voice publications in New Baltimore (MI). U.S. Constitutional issues.

International Fellows:

Catalin Dimofte, 32, Adevarul Economic, Bucharest. Total Quality Management and environmental issues.

Laurentiu Ilie, 27, editor and publisher, Bursa, Bucharest. Business strategy.

Hisayoshi Miyatake, 38, Assistant Editor, Kyodo News Service, Tokyo. The ” understanding gap” in U.S.-Japanese relations.

Byoung-soo Shohn, 35, reporter, Joong-ang Daily News