Looking Back at Fulbright Week at NC State
From March 25 – 28, NC State’s Office of Global Engagement, Office for Faculty Excellence and University Fellowships Office teamed up to host an informative and engaging Fulbright Week, highlighting the various programs supported through the prestigious Fulbright program.
Fulbright Week is a time for NC State students, staff, and faculty to come together, celebrate, and learn about the different programs Fulbright offers. Directed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), Fulbright is an academic cultural exchange program for American students to study, teach, or pursue important research and professional projects in the United States and in more than 160 partner countries worldwide over the course of an academic year. NC State has been named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution two years in a row, recognized as one of the universities with the highest number of students and researchers selected for both the Fulbright U.S. Student and Fulbright U.S Scholar Programs.
Over the course of the week students, faculty, and Fulbright alumni had the opportunity to partake in educational and informational sessions and connect with each other to broaden their networks. On Tuesday, prospective Fulbright faculty attended a panel led by Kyle Miskell, OFE Director of External Awards, where faculty members who have received Fulbright Scholar awards spoke on their experiences. On Wednesday, the University Fellowships Office held information sessions on the U.S. Student Fulbright Program led by Courtney Hughes and Kristen Hetrick. Former student participants in the Fulbright program had the chance to connect with outbound students preparing to enter the Fulbright program and shared their experiences and resources.
Current Fulbright scholar Juliene Pornicula, who is collecting data for her doctoral dissertation in Manila, Philippines, described her experience as a Fulbright scholar as fufilling, from the relationships she forged with her affiliate institution to the colleagues she was introduced to: “Through my interdisciplinary approach, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with so many faculty members and students across multiple fields, collaborating and discussing shared interests to help each other’s research goals,” she said. “These are connections I will cherish as I further into my academic career.”
