Dickinson Named Top Fulbright-Producing College

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For the fifth time in the past 10 years, Dickinson is one of the U.S. Department of State's top Fulbright-producing colleges. For the 2013-14 grant year, the Fulbright Program, the nation's flagship international educational exchange program, will send more than 1,800 American students, artists and young professionals to 140 countries throughout the world to teach and conduct research, including five Dickinsonians:

  • Jeffrey Lewek '13 (ETA/Germany)
  • Phoebe Oldach '13 (Medical Sciences/India)
  • Melissa Reif '13 (ETA/Brazil)
  • Christina Socci '13 (ETA/South Korea)
  • Olivia Stevens '12 (International Relations/Kyrgyz Republic)

Associate Professor of History Jeremy Ball, Dickinson's lead advisor for Fulbright Fellowships, says that the atmosphere and excitement on campus surrounding the Fulbright Fellowship serve as self-perpetuating engines of interest. 

"Reading about profiled recipients and hearing first-hand from former Fulbrighters who return to campus to talk about their experience creates a campus culture where Fulbright is a known possibility," he says. But knowledge of the program itself, of course, isn't enough to prepare students for the application process. 

"Our students' proficiency in languages and Dickinson's success with study abroad are the major factors that translate into such a high number of Fulbright recipients," says Sarah McGaughey, assistant professor of German and Fulbright advisor. "A great majority of the students who apply for a Fulbright have developed connections on their programs abroad that lead to excellent applications." 

And applications for the next round of Fulbrights are already in, as 17 Dickinson students have submitted for the prestigious fellowship. Meanwhile, the full list of 2013-2014 top Fulbright-producing colleges is available at the Fulbright Fellowship Web page.

Published November 1, 2013