Record Number of Fulbright Scholarships Awarded
Annually, thousands of students and faculty across the U.S. apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to teach or conduct research abroad. This year, two Azusa Pacific University professors and five students earned this elite award, a record-breaking number in a single year for APU, raising the total to 36 Fulbright recipients (27 students and 9 faculty) in just 11 years.
The Fulbright Scholarship Program offers international educational exchange opportunities sponsored by the U.S. government and designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” The Fulbright Program has provided more than 318,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential—with the chance to study, teach, research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Among the APU faculty honorees this year, Thomas Cairns, DBA, associate professor in the School of Business and Management, will teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels and conduct research at National University of Ireland, Maynooth. His colleague, Cheryl Westlake Canary, Ph.D., RN, ACNS-BC, professor and associate dean of international and community programs in the School of Nursing, will teach heart failure care and conduct research in Quito, Ecuador, at the Universidad de San Francisco.
In addition, three recent alumni plan to teach English abroad. Lauren Bugg ’13 will use her B.A. in English and Communication Studies to teach in Turkey; Cameron Demetre ’13 will draw upon a B.A. in Global Studies to teach in South Korea; and Chad Richard ’12 will put his B.A. in English to use teaching in Brazil. Aly Easton ’12, who holds a B.A. in Theater Arts, plans to study deaf theater in Italy, while Justin Strong ’08, who holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies, will conduct theological research in Germany.
“These Fulbright awards represent APU’s continued success in a challenging national competition, and demonstrate our commitment to scholarship at the highest levels,” said Provost Mark Stanton, Ph.D. “The remarkable opportunities these Fulbright recipients engage in abroad not only enhance their research and life experiences, but also contribute to the internationalization of the APU community upon their return. We celebrate their successes, and we are proud of their accomplishments.”
Posted: November 4, 2013