February 15, 2023
SVSU recognized as a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, enriching student learning
Saginaw Valley State University has earned national recognition for its leadership in international and intercultural education. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named has named SVSU a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Scholars. This recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.
Two SVSU faculty members ― Andrea Frederick, professor nursing, and Natalia Knoblock, associate professor of English — were selected for Fulbright awards for academic year 2022-2023. Among colleges and universities in Michigan that do not grant doctoral degrees, SVSU is the only institution to produce more than one Fulbright U.S. Scholar.
Frederick spent three months at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland working to launch an interprofessional educational simulation for students and faculty of the School of Health & Social Care. She said the experience has enhanced her teaching at SVSU.
“My research at Edinburgh Napier University informs my interprofessional work at SVSU with a more nuanced appreciation of problem solving through the diversity of international partnership,” Fredrick said. “At SVSU, I want our students to understand that in the diverse interprofessional health care world, which they will soon enter, there are many approaches to improving patient outcomes. I encourage them to take the opportunity to engage and learn from the differences.”
Knoblock, who specializes in socio-linguistics, was invited to teach at the National University of Colombia in Bogota, where she worked to establish a professional connection with the Colombian university and taught linguistics courses, among other activities.
“It was a privilege to work with students and faculty at the National University of Colombia,” Knoblock said. “I felt that I positively contributed to their scholarly experience and was enriched by the fellowship as well. I hope SVSU and the National University develop a cooperation program and continue professional contacts which would be beneficial to both schools.”
Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. It is also among the largest and most diverse exchange programs in the world. Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 participants from all backgrounds and fields – including recent university graduates, teachers, scientists, researchers, artists, and others, from the United States and over 160 other countries – have participated in the Fulbright Program. Fulbright alumni have returned to their home countries to make an impact on their communities thanks to their expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country and its people, and a larger network of colleagues and friends.
“On behalf of President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, congratulations to the colleges and universities recognized as 2022-2023 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions, and to all the applicants who were selected for the Fulbright Program this year,” said Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of state for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
“Thanks to the visionary leadership of these institutions, administrators, and advisors, a new generation of Fulbrighters – changemakers, as I like to say – will catalyze lasting impact on their campus, in their communities, and around the world.”
The Fulbright program is supported at SVSU through the office of Sponsored Programs. The university recognizes the value of the Fulbright U.S. Scholars program and encourages faculty to apply for awards.
The Fulbright Program was established over 75 years ago to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. While the primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, it benefits from additional support from foreign partner governments, non-governmental organizations, private organizations, corporate partnerships, and individual donors. Importantly, U.S. and foreign host institutions provide support as well.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who carry forward the Fulbright mission of enhancing mutual understanding.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org/