USM Institutions Among Top Producers of Fulbright U.S. Scholars and Students for 2020-21 Cycle

Quality of USM Institutions Recognized with National Fulbright Leadership

Baltimore, Md. (Feb. 24, 2021) – Three University System of Maryland (USM) institutions are on the Chronicle of Higher Education list of “Top Producers of Fulbright U.S. Scholars and Students, 2020-21,” a prestigious indicator of each university’s academic quality.

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) had 16 Fulbright U.S. Students, while the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) had 11 and Salisbury University (SU) had six.

The Fulbright Programs give exceptional students, faculty, and other professionals of all backgrounds and fields the chance to study, teach, and conduct research in countries around the globe. The 2020-21 list reflects USM’s position as a national leader in Fulbright recognition.

It is anticipated that a number of Fulbright recipients nationally will be able to begin their work abroad in September 2021, amid increasing distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The Fulbright is such a special award—maybe especially now, when limitations on travel have disconnected us from international colleagues and made it more difficult to share knowledge and ideas across countries and cultures. So I’m deeply grateful to all of our Fulbright scholars and students for their abiding dedication to global learning, discovery, and understanding,” said USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. “And, of course, it’s always wonderful to see the USM’s worldwide reach and impact.”

“We take great pride in the commitment of everyone in the USM who is receiving a U.S. Fulbright Student or Scholar award,” said Joann Boughman, USM Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs. “It is gratifying to see three system institutions recognized as top producers. Any individual Fulbright award reflects hard work, dedication, and mentorship from staff at our universities.”

UMCP is one of 17 U.S. colleges and universities honored in both categories. In addition to the 16 students, six UMCP professionals were offered Fulbright U.S. Scholars awards. UMCP is routinely among the top research institutions for the student program. The university is listed for both the Fulbright student and scholar awards for the first time since 2017-18.

UMBC students were selected for Romania, Latvia, South Korea, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, and Portugal. UMBC Associate Director for Global Engagement Opportunities Brian Souders praised the students he advises for their hard work and flexibility during the rigorous Fulbright application process. Students submitted applications in October 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the current awards cycle. “I am particularly proud of this cohort of UMBC Fulbright recipients because of the many changes in plan they have endured to take up this honor. Their resilience and drive will make them outstanding representatives of UMBC in their Fulbright programs,” Souders said.

Salisbury University is on the Fulbright Top Producers list for the fourth straight year. SU has had 21 Fulbright students since its first was selected in 2012. Fifteen SU students are Fulbright semifinalists for 2021-22. More than 60 SU students have won national and international fellowships, scholarships, and awards in the past eight years.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program gives student recipients a one-year grant to conduct individually designed study and research, or teach English, in more than 150 countries. The Fulbright U.S. Scholars Program offers diverse opportunities for academics, administrators, and professionals to teach, research, conduct professional projects and participate in seminars abroad.

For the latter category, two scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) were named U.S. Fulbright Scholars for the 2020-21 cycle. UMCES Associate Professor Lora Harris will conduct research on coastal restoration, applying earlier study of the Chesapeake Bay with research on the Baltic Sea.  Christina Goethel, a Ph.D. candidate, will use her award to support post-doctoral research and teaching in Iceland. Goethel has been studying effects of climate change on animals that live on sea floors near the Arctic Circle. UMCES President Peter Goodwin praised Harris and Goethel for the impact of their work in Maryland and its potential global impact.

The University of Baltimore (UB) has six faculty members currently serving in the U.S. Fulbright Specialist Program, which sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, and institutional planning at academic institutions abroad for a period of two to six weeks. The faculty, all in the College of Public Affairs, are Kelechi Uzochukwu (2019-22); Alan Lyles (2019-22); Lorenda Naylor (2019-22); Sarah Federman (2021-25); Gabriela Wasileski (2019-22); and Al Gourrier (2021-25). University of Maryland Eastern Shore Professor of Human Ecology Lombuso Khoza has been selected for the Fulbright International Educational Administrators Seminar award for Taiwan.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the Fulbright Program.

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The USM comprises 12 institutions: Bowie State University; Coppin State University; Frostburg State University; Salisbury University; Towson University; the University of Baltimore; the University of Maryland, Baltimore; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; the University of Maryland, College Park; the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and the University of Maryland Global Campus. The USM also includes three regional centers—the Universities at Shady Grove, the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, and the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland—at which USM universities offer upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses.

Systemwide, student enrollment exceeds 172,000. The USM and its institutions compete successfully nearly $1.5 billion in external grants and contracts annually. USM institutions and programs are among the nation's best in quality and value according to several national rankings. To learn more about the University System of Maryland, visit www.usmd.edu.
 

Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu