SDSU Faculty and Students Receive Fulbright Scholar Grants for 2006-2007

Contact: Lorena Nava
San Diego State University
Tel: (619) 594-3952 office; (619) 309-5179 cell
lnava@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO – (Thursday, June 1, 2006)– Four students and a faculty member at San Diego State University have received Fulbright Scholar grants, the university announced today.

"These recipients are a reflection of SDSU’s increased commitment to international education," said SDSU Provost Nancy Marlin. "Thanks go to the excellent international work of so many faculty and staff, particularly Dr. Patricia Huckle, in supporting our student applicants. We’re excited to see our students off to locales including Europe and the Middle East."

Richard Levine, an associate professor of statistics, will help implement a new statistics program at China’s Zhejiang University that will eventually influence environmental public policy in spring 2007. Levine will teach Zhejiang University faculty and students how to design experiments and interpret the data received.

"I’m excited to work with Chinese scholars," said Levine. "With the program, the Chinese will be able to study and analyze climate change and, with results, influence environmental public policy."

Zhejiang University is located in Hangzhou, 100 miles south of Shanghai, and is regarded as one of the richest cities in China. Levine brings SDSU’s total number of faculty Fulbright Scholar recipients since 1993 to 42.

SDSU student Fulbright Scholars include:

• Brit Toven, a graduate of SDSU’s education master’s degree program, will research ethnic minority students in Norway from August 2006 to June 2007.

• Jon Bowermaster, a comparative literature graduate student, will conduct an oral history research project in the Slovak Republic regarding life after the fall of communism and teach English to local law enforcement from September 2006 to May 2007.

• Paul Alexander, a comparative literature graduate student, will study Islamic civilization and literature in Damascus, Syria from July 2006 to June 2007.

• Shannon Maraghy, a graduate of SDSU’s creative writing master’s degree program, will teach English in France via a government grant during the 2006-07 school year.

SDSU has had a total of eight students participate in the Fulbright Program since 2005.

The Fulbright Scholars Program, the U.S. government's flagship program in international educational exchange, was proposed to the U.S. Congress in 1945 by then freshman Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. In the aftermath of World War II, Sen. Fulbright viewed the proposed program as a much-needed vehicle for promoting “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world.” His vision was approved by Congress and the program signed into law by President Truman in 1946.

Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception, more than 250,000 participants – chosen for their leadership potential – have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

SDSU is the oldest and largest institution of higher education in the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 and doctorates in 16. SDSU’s nearly 33,000 students participate in academic curricula distinguished by direct faculty contact and an increasingly international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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