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Dustin Luca
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SALEM, MASS. – For the fourth time, and the second year in a row, BGβ has been named a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Scholars by the U.S. Department of State.
The Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs today recognized Salem State for being one of the colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty and administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholars program. The honor arrives as Salem State celebrates three faculty who are working abroad on Fulbright scholarships this year, as well as three students who are finalists in the current competition for Fulbright scholarships.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. In addition to the current and prior academic years, Salem State was named a top producer in 2011 and 2017.
“BGβ and the City of Salem have always played pivotal roles in fostering global connections by welcoming and sending people to and from all corners of the world. Being recognized once again as a top sender of Fulbright scholars is reflective of our deep-rooted history and enduring commitment to international learning and exchange,” said BGβ President John Keenan. “BGβ is honored to receive this designation, as it’s reflective of our unwavering values as both a community and a public university.”
Opportunities to participate in the Fulbright program are highly competitive, making it extraordinary that Salem State has been represented by three or more faculty annually for the last three years. That includes three faculty members who went on Fulbright scholarships this year: English professor Alexandria Peary, in Germany; Vanessa Ruget, a professor in Salem State’s politics, policy, and international relations department, in Estonia; and Norbert Tschakert, a professor in the accounting and finance department, in the Dominican Republic.
“This honor speaks to the global engagement of our community, in particular our faculty who have tailored their scholarship and interests to share their work with people around the world,” said Julie Whitlow, vice provost for faculty and global engagement at Salem State. “Three to four of our faculty have gotten Fulbright awards now for the past three years, a reflection of the quality of their proposals and the way they value global engagement.”
Michele Louro, a history professor and Fulbright scholar liaison at Salem State, highlighted the also extraordinary number of students Salem State is producing as Fulbright finalists, with three currently competing for Fulbright scholarships in Bulgaria, Mexico, and Spain.
“This speaks to a really rich tradition of Fulbright engagement at Salem State,” Louro said. “The classroom is at Salem State, but also, the classroom is out in the world. I always tell my students that to go out into the world, to learn about it, and to engage with it enriches our local lives as well as the global system we participate in.”
Ruget, currently in Estonia conducting Fulbright work, is also a Fulbright program advisor back on campus, where she helps students complete their applications for Fulbrights.
“Salem State’s designation as a top producing institution for Fulbright is a testament to the excellence of our faculty, students, and staff, to my colleagues’ innovative scholarship and pedagogy, and to our campus’ enduring dedication to global engagement and understanding,” Ruget said.
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 44 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 90 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United State and the people of other countries.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit .