Fulbright representatives visited UD on Nov. 11, discussing the program with students gathered at the Perkins Student Center Alumni Gallery.

Fulbright Initiative launched

UD recognizes Fulbright recipients, plans additional activities

TEXT SIZE

2:03 p.m., Nov. 21, 2014--The Institute for Global Studies (IGS) recently launched a Fulbright Initiative to honor members of the University of Delaware community who have received Fulbright awards and to inspire others to participate in this prestigious program.

On Nov. 11, Fulbright representatives visited UD’s campus. They included Daniel Kramer, director of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program; Alisha Scott, program officer for the Fulbright U.S. Scholars Program; and Justin Hill, 2011 Fulbright Alumni Ambassador

Global Stories

Fulbright awards

Three University of Delaware students and an alumna have received word this spring that they will travel abroad as part of the newest class of Fulbright Student Program award winners.

Peace Corps plans

Two University of Delaware students, John McCarron and Bridgette Spritz, have been selected as Peace Corps volunteers and will serve in Ghana and Rwanda.

The representatives participated in informal lunches, conducted information sessions, and were special guests at an afternoon reception.

The representatives said they were excited to be a part of UD’s initiative. “It’s a real joy to work with others who have the same approach to internationalizing a campus culture,” Kramer said.

“We are looking for the dreamers,” Kramer told a group of students who filled the Perkins Student Center Alumni Gallery.

With over 140 Fulbright programs, students were encouraged to do their research, take advantage of opportunities and keep an open mind. 

Senior environmental science major William Facciolo arrived at Perkins looking for funding for graduate study in meteorology. After the presentation, Facciolo said, “I think I now want to try to apply for a musical fellowship after learning about the Fulbright-mtvU Fellowship.”

That afternoon, a reception was held at the Wright House for members of the newly formed UD Fulbright Society, which includes all UD faculty, staff, students and alumni who have received Fulbright awards.

To date, over 150 members of the University community have been identified as Fulbright recipients.

The earliest UD Fulbright recipient on record is Donald Stewart, a student who received a Fulbright award in 1951 to study in France. 

The first UD faculty member to receive a Fulbright was Jay L. Halio, professor emeritus of English and tdirector of the Jewish Studies Program at UD, who traveled to Malaysia in 1966. Halio went on to win four more Fulbright grants for research in Argentina and Bulgaria.

“My advice for both faculty and students is to be flexible and indicate you are interested in other possibilities,” said Halio. None of the programs he participated in were ones to which he originally applied. According to Halio, “It always turned out different, but it always turned out well.” 

IGS is working with academic departments and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to locate other members of the UD community who may have won Fulbright awards prior to their arrival at or after their departure from UD. Individuals with information are encouraged to email IGS.

Members of the UD Fulbright Society will be featured in the Fulbright Lecture Series, a revamped UD Fulbright web site, and the next issue of the Global magazine, all to be launched this spring.

According to Nancy Guerra, associate provost for international programs and director of IGS, “We should celebrate those who have achieved such greatness and encourage others to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Guerra added, “We hope to increase and expand Fulbright scholars at UD and help facilitate student and faculty applications.”

Students, faculty, and staff interested in applying for a Fulbright can reference IGS’s Fulbright webpage

About Fulbright

The Fulbright Program was named after U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright, who first introduced a bill in 1945 to Congress that was later signed into law. It focused on the “promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science.”

Today the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, and includes opportunities for study and research, English teaching assistant and travel grants, Fulbright-Clinton Fellowships, Fulbright-mtvU Awards, Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship, Critical Language Enhancement Awards, and numerous awards for distinguished chairs, specialists, postdoctoral scholars awards, NEXUS and more.

Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson

News Media Contact

University of Delaware
Communications and Public Affairs
302-831-NEWS
publicaffairs@udel.edu

UDaily is produced by
Communications and Public Affairs

The Academy Building
105 East Main Street
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716 | USA
Phone: (302) 831-2792
email: publicaffairs@udel.edu
www.udel.edu/cpa