UW–Madison is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2019–2020 Fulbright U.S. Students.
Each year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the lists annually.
Thirteen students from UW–Madison received Fulbright awards for academic year 2019–2020, with 53 applications submitted in total. Students selected for awards represent a variety of fields, from ecology and public health to sociology and the fine arts. Recipients are applying their awards in numerous ways, with many working as language and cultural assistants and others conducting research in support of graduate work while enrolled at UW–Madison or as post-baccalaureate independent researchers. Additionally, one student has enrolled in a graduate program in Taiwan and two others are honing skills in installation art in New Zealand, and sculpture in Sweden.
“The opportunities awarded by these prestigious awards are nothing short of transformational,” said Guido Podestá, vice provost and dean of UW–Madison’s International Division. “In addition to the vast academic benefits for participants, the cultural exchanges that take place with people of the host country grow mutual understanding that enhances relations with the U.S. It is wonderful that so many UW–Madison students have been selected with the Fulbright U.S. Student Awards.”
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at the University of Wisconsin–Madison through the Awards Office in the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS). IRIS is a unit of UW–Madison’s International Division. Learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program at UW–Madison.
About the Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Over 2,200 U.S. Students and over 900 U.S. college and university faculty and administrators are awarded Fulbright grants annually. In addition, some 4,000 Fulbright Foreign Students and Visiting Scholars come to the United States annually to study, lecture, conduct research, or teach their native language.
“We are delighted to see that the colleges and universities we are honoring as 2019–2020 Fulbright top producing institutions reflect the geographic and institutional diversity of higher education in the United States,” said Marie Royce, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs. “We are committed to the Fulbright Program’s goals of creating lasting professional and personal connections by sending passionate and accomplished U.S. students of all backgrounds to study, research, or teach English in communities throughout the world. These Fulbrighters serve as citizen ambassadors for the United States in their host communities, and we will benefit from the skills, knowledge, and global connections they build on their exchanges long after they return home.”
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 390,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems. The global network of Fulbrighters fosters mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, advances knowledge across communities, and improves lives around the globe.
Fulbright is active in more than 160 countries worldwide and partners with participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States. Many of these organizations also provide direct and indirect support. ECA sponsors the Fulbright program, and several non-profit, cooperative partners implement and support the program on the Bureau’s behalf. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright.
Story by Steve Barcus