Fulbright Workshop at the UA

On March 9, 2010 there will be a free workshop in the Tucson Room, which is located on the third level of the Student Union Memorial Center at the University of Arizona that will start at 10:30 am and run for approximately 2.5 hours. The workshop is for those interested in applying for the Fulbright Program, a federally funded international exchange program that encourages diverse discourse among American scholars and those in other countries. The Fulbright Scholar Program is geared toward faculty or administrators interested in teaching, hosting or visiting a foreign scholar, and/or conducting research in almost every academic and professional field in over 155 countries. The program can last anywhere from 2 months to an entire academic year, and each year, about 800 people are granted the opportunity to partake in the prestigious exchange program.

Dr. Andy Riess, Senior Program Officer for Recruitment for the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CEIS) will be a featured guest at the UA workshop event next month. The workshop will present the opportunities and benefits granted by the program, as well as an overview of the application process. UA recipients of the Fulbright will discuss the personal impact they have endured, as well as the goals of the university regarding international research. There will also be an opportunity for faculty to learn about hosting visiting Fulbright scholars.

After the workshop, time will be allotted for interested faculty members to propose their project ideas to Dr. Riess.

The event is co-sponsored by the Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Institute and International Affairs.

I think this workshop is essential for those interested in the program because it is a great way to get one foot in the door. Initiating and maintaining correspondence with someone like Dr. Riess can be extremely beneficial to the application process and having the opportunity to propose a project idea prior to finalizing plans can help avoid problems down the line. Dr. Riess may be able to give invaluable feedback as someone who hears and reviews thousands of project ideas.

It is clear that it's not only important for students to study abroad and embrace other cultures, but it's beneficial for faculty and administrators to explore and research in other countries as well.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a segment from an article about a former UA student who spent time in Mexico.

From Alumnus: The magazine of the University of Arizona Alumni Association

The following is written by Margaret Regan.

"Susan Meyers, Fulbright Fellow, 2007-2008, Mexico

Susan Meyers earned a Ph.D. in rhetoric, composition, and the teaching of English at the UA in May. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Seattle University in 1999, and a M.F.A. at the University of Minnesota in 2004.

Meyers lived mostly in a rural community in Michoacan, a Mexican state that traditionally sends many migrants to the U.S. The children of those immigrants end up in American classrooms, and Meyers wanted to learn better ways to teach them.

“My project was an ethnographic study to look at the backgrounds of students from Mexico, their culture and education, to learn about reading and writing in Mexico.” She learned that working families are often “resistant to academics, but they’re savvy” about the skills they want their children to learn. “They want nuts-and-bolts reading and writing ‘so you don’t get tricked later in life.’”

Thanks to a U.S. friend with connections in the village, Meyers was able to do her interviews and observations with ease. She completed her doctorate within a year of her return, and in the fall will begin teaching at Oregon State in Corvallis as a tenure-track professor.

“Abroad you learn so much. I really want to influence classroom practice. Having the Fulbright was a huge help. These programs are life-changing.”"

(Click here to read the entire article.)

I plan to get in touch with Susan Meyers to do an in-depth interview about her experiences in Mexico.