UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FULBRIGHT COLLEGE STUDENTS SELECTED AS FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — University of Arkansas J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences seniors Laura Moix and Jill Baird have been selected as 2003 Fulbright Scholars.

With the honor, Moix and Baird will receive approximately $25,000 to study abroad in Germany in the upcoming year.

Moix, a University Scholar from Little Rock, will graduate in May with a degree in international relations and European studies.

Baird, a Chancellor’s Scholar and recipient of the Rosecrans Fellowship from Wichita, Kan., will graduate with a degree in biochemistry.

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946, at the end of World War II, to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills.

Suzanne McCray, associate dean of the Honors College, said, "What a great year it has been for Fulbright College students, and the Fulbright Scholarship is one of the highlights. We’re so proud of these students for their accomplishment in winning this prestigious national scholarship awards. We’re seeing more UA students compete annually for these, and it’s their education and experience received at the University of Arkansas that make our students competitive and attractive candidates for national scholarships and fellowships. Of course we’re grateful for the continued private gift support that established the scholarships that brought these students to campus in the first place."

The Fulbright Program’s primary source of funding is an annual appropriation made by the United States Department of State, and it answers directly to U.S. Congress on matters relating to the program’s annual funding, recruitment and placement policies, and administration locally in the U.S. and in 140 foreign countries.

Senator J. William Fulbright, sponsor of the legislation, saw it as a step toward building an alternative to armed conflict. Today the Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government’s premier scholarship program. It enables U.S. students, artists, teachers and other professionals to benefit from unique resources in every corner of the world, and the award pays tuition and living expenses in various countries overseas.

"The success of our faculty and students in winning a Fulbright research or teaching fellowship is the most tangible link between the contemporary emphasis on international affairs and cultural understanding at the University of Arkansas and the marvelous legacy of Senator J. William Fulbright," said Mark Cory, professor of foreign languages in Fulbright College. "These are highly competitive grants, and those of us who have worked with Jill Baird and Laura Moix are enormously proud of their achievements. The year they will spend in Germany comes at a sensitive time in German-American relations. Jill and Laura will not be able to mend what has been torn this year, but through their intelligence, their preparation and their own good citizenship they will definitely contribute."

Participating governments and host institutions also contribute financial support through direct cost sharing, as well as through tuition waivers, university housing and other benefits.

Grants are made to citizens of participating countries, primarily for university teaching, advanced research, graduate study, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools.

Past Fulbright Scholars at the U of A include John Hulsey, German, Austria, 2002; Erica Edwards, international relations, Belgium, 2000; Katrina Vandenberg, translation, Netherlands, 1999; Karry Evans, political science, Kuwait, 1998; Stephanie Ricker, teaching assistant, Germany, 1998; James Frank, translation, Switzerland, 1993; Anthony Elliott, research, Belize, 1992; Maya Shastri, teaching assistant, Germany, 1992.

Under policy guidance of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB), the Department of State administers the program in cooperation with binational Fulbright commissions and foundations. The FSB, composed of twelve educational leaders appointed by the president of the United States, within its statutory authority, oversees the Fulbright Program, establishes policies and selection criteria, and selects grantees for awards.

Abroad, the Fulbright Program is administered by the posts in non-commission countries and by binational commissions and foundations in 51 countries that have executive agreements with the United States. In the U.S., the Department of State awards annual administrative grants to the Institute of International Education (IIE) and other cooperating organizations to carry out the work of program promotion, candidate recruitment and institutional placement, and grantee monitoring. IIE assists with the administration of Fulbright grants for graduate study, while other Fulbright components are handled by other cooperating agencies.

IIE is a private, not-for-profit, non-government organization, founded in 1919, which assists the Department of State in administering Fulbright grants for graduate study. IIE works cooperatively with the Department of State, the commissions, foundations, and posts overseas and with the U.S. higher education community — to bring new Fulbright grantees to appropriate educational programs in the United States and abroad, to enable them to achieve their objectives, and to assist them in returning home.