WSU hosts near-record number of Fulbright scholars

By Communications staff, Washington State University

Fulbright Academy formed
to advance understanding

This fall, several WSU units, including the Graduate School, the Office of Research and international programs, have joined to create the Fulbright Academy. Its mission is to provide “a platform for faculty, students and staff to exchange ideas, interact socially and aspire to the Fulbright vision of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”
 
The effort was spearheaded by Mushtaq Memon, a Fulbright ambassador and associate professor in veterinary clinical sciences and the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health.
 
The academy will provide coordinated support for WSU faculty and students who want to apply for Fulbright awards, Memon said, as well as for Fulbright participants who come to WSU from around the world.
 
46 faculty have been
Fulbright participants
This year WSU is hosting more than 40 Fulbright students and scholars. In addition, there are at least 46 faculty members in the WSU system who have completed Fulbright assignments.
 
Nancy Shrope, the WSU Fulbright scholar campus representative in the Office of Research, said there may be others who completed assignments before they arrived at WSU. If so, she said, she would like to add them to the Fulbright database.
 
Since faculty apply directly to the Fulbright program, Shrope said, she often does not know who was selected for an award until she receives an official notification from the Fulbright program sometime in September. This year, she said, she knows of one WSU award – Keri McCarthy, an assistant professor of music, is spending the year in Thailand – but there may be others.
 
Last year, Shrope said, WSU had seven faculty selected for Fulbright awards, more than any other college or university in the Pacific Northwest. WSU also has three graduate students studying overseas on Fulbright awards this year, the first since 2004.
 
Forum planned for spring
In addition to Memon and Shrope, the Fulbright Academy advisory group includes: Pat Sturko, associate dean of the Graduate School;  Sarah Ann Hones, director of distinguished scholarships; Erin Rice, project coordinator with international programs; Rob Cassleman, international scholar advisor; Pam Kelley, events coordinator in the Office of Research; and Christine Fry-Pierce, public relations coordinator in the Graduate School.
 
In addition to planning the Fulbright welcome reception on Sept. 1, the group has plans to sponsor a spring semester forum, where Fulbright participants can share their experiences with the WSU community. Other activities might include potlucks, picnics and other opportunities to socialize, as well as a speakers’ series or other lectures.
 
For more information about the Fulbright Academy, contact Erin Rice at ekrice@wsu.edu or 509-335-4352.
 

PULLMAN, Wash. – This fall, Washington State University will host one of its largest – if not the largest – groups of Fulbright scholars.

An expected 19 new international student scholars and four visiting faculty will join 22 continuing students – for more than 40 Fulbright participants on the Pullman campus.
 
Students are arriving from as nearby as Costa Rica and as far away as New Zealand to study disciplines as diverse as nutrition, criminology, literature, agriculture and veterinary medicine.
 
Learning from each other
All current and former Fulbright students and scholars are invited to a welcome reception 4-5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, in the Honors College Lounge to meet each other, share stories and celebrate the start of the academic year.
 
The group will be addressed by Howard Grimes, vice president of research and dean of the Graduate School; Prema Arasu, vice provost for international programs; and Mary Wack, vice provost for undergraduate education and a Fulbright scholar. Mushtaq Memon, Fulbright ambassador for the Council on International Exchange of Scholars, also will speak He is an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health.
 
“I’m so surprised and impressed by the size of this class,” said Rob Cassleman, an international scholar advisor with international programs. “It’s really a very interesting group.
 
Focused recruitment rewarded
“It’s been an intentional effort; this isn’t serendipity,” he said. “The Graduate School has put out the effort and resources to attract Fulbright students.”
 
The students are split between those pursuing master’s degrees and those pursuing doctorates, Cassleman said, so their time on campus varies.
 
Pat Sturko, associate dean of the Graduate School, said Fulbright enrollments have been growing for the past six years, in part because of streamlined application procedures and increased coordination between the Graduate School and the colleges and departments where the students reside. Last year, WSU Pullman welcomed 17 new Fulbright international student scholars for a total of 25 on campus.
 
Only Antarctica lacks representation

 

The four Fulbright visiting faculty scholars, all of whom will be on campus for one academic year, are: Boris Delimarschi from Moldova, working in information sciences/systems; Abdelhai Guerouali from Morocco, working in agriculture; Fatma Sahin from Cyprus, working in journalism; and Joumana Toufaily Tayssir-Hamieh from Lebanon, working in engineering.
 
The Fulbright participants come from every continent except Antarctica, Cassleman said. “The Magellanic penguins decided not to come this year,” he said, “but I’m going to go after them next year.”