Once again, Hamilton has been named a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Top Producing Institution. Twenty-six students and one graduate applied for the 2020-21 academic year cycle. Of those, 14 students were named semi-finalists, 10 received the grant, and two were selected as alternates.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced the top-producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the government’s flagship international educational exchange program, on Feb. 15. The Chronicle of Higher Education published the lists. This year marks a milestone for the Fulbright Program as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Ginny Dosch, student fellowships coordinator, said, “Hamilton student and alumni success in the Fulbright program reflects many months of hard work, research, and writing compelling proposals and cohesive personal narratives that connect their academic and experiential pursuits to study, research, or teaching English abroad. They’re all drawn to the Fulbright mission to promote cultural exchange and understanding, and to build lasting friendships around the world.”
Dosch said that for 2021-22, Hamilton has 13 seniors and alumni selected as semifinalists; final decisions will be made in the coming months. “This year’s national applicant pool was the largest in the 75-year history of the [program],” Dosch said. “Several applicants recently received interviews with in-country Fulbright administrators in Bulgaria, Russia, and Ukraine.
Last year The Chronicle of Higher Education identified only “nine baccalaureate institutions [that] have been top producers of Fulbright U.S. students every year for the past 10 years. They were Amherst, Hamilton, Oberlin, Pitzer, Pomona, Smith, Swarthmore, Vassar, and Williams colleges.”
“We are delighted to see that the colleges and universities we are honoring as 2020-21 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions reflect the geographic and institutional diversity of higher education in the United States,” said Mary Kirk, director of the Office of Academic Exchange Programs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. “In supporting their faculty advisors and administrators who guide their students through the Fulbright application process, these institutions benefit from having their students represent their campus overseas, often inspiring reciprocal exchanges from foreign Fulbrighters. Fulbright U.S. Students enrich their educations, advance their careers, and make valuable contributions abroad and at home.”
Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 people from all backgrounds have participated in the Fulbright Program. Fulbright alumni have become heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs, and university presidents, as well as leading journalists, artists, scientists, and teachers. They include 60 Nobel Laureates, 88 Pulitzer Prize winners, 75 MacArthur Fellows, and thousands of leaders across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Students and alumni interested in exploring Fulbright Grants for the fall 2021 application cycle should visit the fellowships website and contact Ginny Dosch.
