WKU News

The Fulbright Specialist Program, a component of the Fulbright Program, has recently accepted Dr. Kay Gandy in WKU’s School of Teacher Education to join the Fulbright Specialist Program Roster. Dr. Gandy has received two Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad awards, one to South Africa and one to Senegal, and a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad award to South Africa.

Founded in 2001, the Fulbright Specialist Program funds U.S. faculty and professionals to engage in two- to six-week, project-based exchanges and to serve as short-term experts at institutions overseas. Encompassing a wide range of disciplines and fields, such as economics, agriculture, public health or education, these projects support priorities identified by the host country’s Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy.

In order to be chosen for a Specialist project, candidates must first apply to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster. Once a competitive peer-review panel approves eligible applicants, they are added to the roster for a three-year tenure as a Fulbright Specialist Candidate. During this three-year window, if a pre-approved host institution selects a candidate to carry out a project, that individual is then officially designated a Fulbright Specialist.

This flexible external funding opportunity is one of many under the Fulbright Program that WKU faculty can pursue.

Another valuable short-term opportunity is the Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) seminar. Dr. Andrew McMichael, Associate Dean of WKU’s Potter College of Arts & Letters, was recently awarded a Fulbright and completed a Fulbright IEA seminar to Taiwan. Designed to connect U.S. administrators and international education experts with higher education systems in select countries, Fulbright IEA seminar activities include intensive campus visits with a cross-section of colleges and universities, briefings with government officials, meetings with experts at private and public institutions, and tours of cultural and historical sites.

“My Fulbright experience in Taiwan opened up a new way for me to think about international engagement for our faculty, staff and students at WKU,” Dr. McMichael said. “My interactions with colleagues in other administrative positions around the country gave me a new perspective on internationalization, and I brought back valuable contacts from Taiwanese universities as well. I was also lucky to meet and speak with many Taiwanese, and will treasure the warmth and friendliness that I experienced there.”

While there are several short term options through the Fulbright Program, WKU still continues to see success with the traditional Core Fulbright Scholar Program, which affords scholars long-term opportunities to teach or conduct research abroad. This past spring Dr. Deborah Logan in the Department of English was awarded her second Fulbright to India to complete research for and a draft of The Women’s Press in India, 1860-1940: Imperial Imports and Nationalist Activism. 

The purpose of the Fulbright Program is to increase the mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and individuals of other countries. Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program acts as a catalyst for energizing research, connecting U.S. scholars with international colleagues, and expanding faculty members’ teaching with global perspectives. Since its inception in 1946, the Program has given more than 360,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Both Fulbright Specialist and Fulbright IEA seminar application deadlines occur throughout the year.

For information about the Fulbright Specialist Program, visit https://fulbrightspecialist.worldlearning.org/

For other faculty Fulbright opportunities, including the Fulbright IEA Seminars, visit www.cies.org or www.wku.edu/oip/wkufulbright.

About the Office of International Programs: The Office of International Programs supports the internationalization agenda of the university by creating opportunities for faculty and staff development in a global context and supporting the development of meaningful co-curricular programming for student, campus, and community audiences.

Contact: Anna Yacovone, (270) 745-3975