By
Boston College is again one of the top producers of student Fulbright recipients among the nation’s leading research universities, according to the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which oversees the program.
In 2014, 10 BC students received Fulbright awards – which support a year’s post-baccalaureate study abroad – placing BC in the top 40 US research universities. Two other students were named alternates as well.
From BC’s 2014 Fulbright class, students are studying in countries including Austria, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Taiwan, Germany, Guatemala and Ukraine.
“I think one of the reasons we’re so successful is that the Fulbright program speaks to exactly the kind of students we have at BC,” said Jason Cavallari, associate director for the University Fellowships Committee, which administers the Fulbright competition. “We have students who are academically talented, interested in the wider world, interested in fostering the kinds of relationships with others that the Fulbright stands for.”
Cavallari also credited the work of advising staff and faculty for presenting highly qualified applicants from BC on an annual basis.
In addition to the Fulbright scholarships, BC students and alumni earned an impressive array of fellowships for the 2014-15 academic year, including a Boren Scholarship, a Goldwater, two Teaching Assistant Program in France awards and a Congressional Policy Fellowship.
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 360,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
More than 1,800 US students, artists and young professionals in more than 100 different fields of study are offered Fulbright Program grants to study, teach English and conduct research annually.
The Fulbright US Student Program operates in more than 140 countries throughout the world. The program is funded through an annual appropriation made by Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.
The Fulbright Program also awards grants to US scholars, teachers and faculty to conduct research and teach overseas. In addition, some 4,000 new foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the United States annually to study for graduate degrees, conduct research and teach foreign languages.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, see eca.state.gov/fulbright.