Students Earn Nationally Competitive Awards for International Study

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas students compete each year with students from across the country for grants and scholarships that enable them to study, conduct research or teach English abroad. This year 16 University of Arkansas students won these nationally competitive awards.

“International study enriches the academic experience by offering students a comparative perspective on their discipline, intensive language learning, and exposure to new people, cultures, and landscapes, helping to prepare them for life beyond college,” said DeDe Long, director of study abroad and international exchange. “It is a credit to our students, and to the reputation of the University of Arkansas, that we have so many students who have earned this opportunity to study in a foreign country and get this valuable experience.”

The best known and most prestigious of these awards are made through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which awards grants for graduate study, research or teaching assistantships in foreign countries. This fall seven University of Arkansas students were awarded Fulbright scholarships to cover all basic living and travel expenses for 9-12 months abroad. Arkansas Sen. J. William Fulbright introduced the legislation that established the program in 1946. It now operates in more than 155 countries and is considered the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the United States.

This year’s Fulbright recipients, their hometown and country of study are:

• Jacquelynn Bensing of Springdale, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in German and Spanish from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. She is completing an English teaching assistantship in Offenburg, Germany.

• Lori Neumeier of Little Rock, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English and German from Fulbright College. She is an English teaching assistant in Bingen am Rhein, Germany.

• Matthew Parnell of Greensboro, N.C., who is completing a doctorate in history in Fulbright College. He is at the American University of Cairo, Egypt, studying the role of Egyptian youth politics in Egypt from the last decade of the 19th century through the aftermath of the 1919 revolution. 

• Katherine Ridgeway of Perryville, who received a bachelor’s degree in international relations and European studies from Fulbright College, with minors in economics, history and African American studies. She has an English teaching assistantship in Saint Omer, France.

• Chase Stoudenmire of Fayetteville, who completed a master’s degree in higher education from the College of Education and Health Professions and has an English teaching assistantship in the Republic of Georgia.

• Donald Cass Trumbo of Fayetteville, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English, classics and mathematics from Fulbright College, and now has an English teaching assistantship in Turkey.

• Craig Voligny of Fayetteville, who completed a master of fine arts in painting and graphic design from Fulbright College and is now an Artist in Residence (Painting) at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Kenting National Park, Taiwan.

 “Working with student applicants for the Fulbright Program is always an enriching experience for me and for the faculty who serve on the university selection committee,” said Long. “These are some of our best and brightest, coming from a wide range of interests and disciplines, putting their best foot forward to expand their knowledge and share their U.S. culture. Senator Fulbright would be very proud of his alma mater to see seven recipients in one year!”

Seven University of Arkansas students received grants from the Gilman Scholarship Program, which offers scholarships to deserving U.S. undergraduates who would not otherwise have the financial means to study abroad. The program aims to help students prepare themselves to play significant roles in an increasingly global and interdependent economy. The scholarships are made for up to $5,000 depending on student need and the length of study abroad. The scholarships are awarded through a competitive process involving students from a diverse range of public and private institutions across the country and must be used to meet eligible expenses of studying abroad.

The Gilman Scholars for 2010-2011, their hometown and country of study are:

• Darrion Coleman of Fayetteville, an industrial engineering major in the College of Engineering. He attended the University of Arkansas Global India Program this past summer in Bangalore.

• Anna Fielder and Shunterrence Trammell, both from Fayetteville. They are both biochemistry majors in Fulbright College and attended the Dublin City University in Ireland for the fall 2010 semester, and will attend the University of Regensburg, Germany, for spring 2011, under a dual degree program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

• Brittany Rodgers of Little Rock, a history major in Fulbright College who studied European studies and international relations at the University of Arkansas Rome Center in Italy this fall.

• Audrey Stone of Claremore, Okla., a major in international relations and European studies in Fulbright College and has also completed the fall semester at the university’s Rome Center.

• Alexandra Wallace of Dexter, Mo., an international relations and political science major in Fulbright College with a minor in Asian studies. He spent the fall semester studying with the American Institute of Foreign Study in Nanjing, China.

• Amanda Compean of Farmington, a chemical engineering major in the College of Engineering. She will study at the University of Newcastle, Australia, during the spring 2011 semester.

The third foreign study opportunity is the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. This program, which began in 1987, aims to promote grass-roots international exchange between Japan and other nations. Currently, there are 4,334 students from 36 countries working in Japan, making it one of the world’s largest exchange programs. The program is highly regarded internationally, and in Japan, for its role in advancing mutual understanding  

The University of Arkansas JET Fellows are:

• Clinton Rhodes of Pine Bluff, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in music from Fulbright College. He is working as an assistant language teacher at an elementary and junior high school in Tsuruta Town, Aomori Prefecture. In addition to teaching English he shares his break dancing skills with his students.

• Katherine Shreves of Warrensburg, Mo., who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Fulbright College. She is teaching English as an assistant language teacher at a junior high school in Ogawa Village, Nagano Prefecture. She attends every English class her students have, and in her free time she has joined a “soft” volleyball team and an African drumming group.

Both Rhodes and Shreves have a one-year contract, renewable up to four times, in their respective placements, according to Terry Vo, a University of Arkansas graduate and current JET program coordinator with the consulate-general of Japan.

The office of nationally competitive awards provides fellowship and grant information to University of Arkansas undergraduates and assists students in assembling applications through workshops and mentoring.