UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2019-20 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program competition will soon be open, as the application period will run from Feb. 1 to Aug. 1, 2018. The Scholar Program gives faculty, administrators and professional artists at Penn State an opportunity to teach, do research or combine the two in more than 25 countries.
The Fulbright Scholars Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs section of the U.S. State Department and administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.
Penn State supports faculty participating in the program through the Office of Global Programs. Penn State tied for second place as a top Fulbright Scholar producer in the 2016-17 competition with 11 scholars. In addition, Penn State also was a top producer of Fulbright students with 12, placing the University among the top-producing research institutions in the country for the fifth year in a row.
Faculty members planning to apply for sabbatical leave are especially encouraged to consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program. Those not due for a sabbatical are encouraged to apply for the Fulbright flex awards, which allow scholars to propose multiple short-term trips over a period of one to two years. Award descriptions can be found in the Fulbright online catalog.
“Fulbright is a significant part of international engagement,” said Sylvester Osagie, director of campus engagement for Global Programs and faculty Fulbright adviser. “Although the program was established in 1946, it continues to be an increasing asset to faculty willing to engage in collaborative research and teaching while building lifelong connections as they do so.”
To assist with the application process, the vice provost for Global Programs charged discipline-based Fulbright panels to review project statements by Penn State faculty Fulbright applicants prior to submission. The panels are designed to give faculty the best chance to compete successfully with additional advising tools and peer-support in place. Panel members are past recipients who value their Fulbright experience and are willing to preserve the Fulbright tradition at Penn State.
For more information on Faculty Fulbright resources, to request a Fulbright workshop for your faculty, or to request a project statement review, contact Osagie or Anne Stover at fulbright@psu.edu.