Thirteen GW alumni were awarded prestigious Fulbright scholarships for the 2010-2011 year.
Despite a 10-person drop from last year, the Fulbright international education exchange program still placed the University among the top producers for recipients of the scholarship program that sends students across the world to research, study and teach.
Six GW faculty members and administrators were also awarded Fulbright scholarships and will do research in Poland, Argentina and China, among other destinations. Last year, five faculty members and administrators received Fulbrights.
The number of GW applicants to the program has been increasing, said Paul Hoyt-O’Connor, the director of GW’s Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research.
“Six or seven years ago, we had maybe 20 or so applicants. In the past few [years], this number has risen to 50 or more,” Hoyt-O’Connor said.
Dianne Martin, associate vice president for graduate studies and academic affairs, said the increase in applications has largely been due to word of mouth.
“As people come back from the wonderful experiences they had abroad because of Fulbright scholarships, they tell other people,” said Martin, whose department works closely with graduate students applying to the scholarship program.
“We are always happy to see more students apply – the more students who do apply, the better opportunity there is for people to receive awards,” Martin said.
Fulbright scholarships are funded by the U.S. government and from contributions from private donors and foreign governments. The program, established in 1946, is named after the late Congressman William Fulbright, a GW Law School alumnus.
GW Fulbright program advisers said they anticipate that students and faculty will continue to expand GW’s reach into extensive international research through the program.
“GW is a very internationally oriented university. Students who are receiving this grant are going to places other than Western Europe, interested in understanding issues in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and other regions,” Hoyt-O’Connor said. “This speaks to the breadth and range of international interest that exists on campus.”
