SU Named Among Nation's Top Producers of Fulbright Scholars

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University has been named among the nation’s top producers of Fulbright Scholars for 2015-16 by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Fulbright is the country’s flagship international educational exchange program. The top-producing campuses were highlighted in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Three scholars from SU were awarded Fulbright grants for 2015-16: Dr. Dean Kotlowski of the History Department, Dr. Olivier Roche of the Management and Marketing Department, and Aaron Basko, assistant vice president for enrollment management.

SU was one of only 11 master’s-level institutions in the nation (and one of two campuses in Maryland) to earn the distinction.  Others included Eastern Michigan University, Villanova, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and College of Charleston.

“Our faculty and administrators are outstanding scholars with wide expertise in their fields; we are proud that their knowledge is being recognized throughout the world,” said Dr. Diane Allen, SU’s provost and senior vice president of academic affairs.  “They return with valuable world experiences and connections which benefit our University, particularly our students.  A global perspective is a key tenant of an SU education. Sending our scholars and students abroad, and welcoming international visitors to Salisbury, enhances the understanding of all on our campus.”

This spring, Kotlowski and Roche are teaching and researching in Europe.  Kotlowski is the Fulbright-Botstiber Visiting Professor of Austrian-American Studies at the University of Salzburg in Austria.  Roche is at the Belarusian State University in Minsk. 

Basko was SU’s first administrator to earn a Fulbright; he and just 10 other U.S. higher education officials met last summer with leaders in Japan to bolster connections in Asia. 

Also last summer, Dr. James King of SU’s English Department took area educators to Ghana on SU’s first Fulbright-Hays international education grant to make cross-cultural curricular connections in Africa.  Over 20 faculty, students and graduates from SU have earned various Fulbright fellowships, grants, scholarships and alumni ambassador appointments.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 360,000 participants with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Over 1,100 scholars from U.S. colleges and universities are awarded the Fulbright to teach and/or conduct research annually. The program operates in over 125 countries. The Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars coordinates the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program on behalf of the Department of State.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.