Libraries Receive Grant to Process Fulbright Program Collection

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Kayci Kruhmin

The University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections Division has been awarded a grant of $149,796 from the Fulbright Program to support the processing of its extensive collection on the program. Katrina Windon, collections management and processing unit head, serves as the principal investigator for the grant, and Kayci Kruhmin, newly hired International Education Project archivist, will lead processing efforts. 

The Institute of International Education Records on the Fulbright Program (MC 2567), one of Special Collections' largest holdings, spans a significant portion of the program's history, from 1990 to 2017, and includes 1,025 linear feet of materials, along with 78.2 gigabytes of digital content. The collection is a rich resource documenting the Fulbright Program's impact on international education, but it has yet to be fully processed and made available for public use. 

"Special Collections is honored to be the home of the Fulbright Program's records, as well as numerous other collections documenting decades of international educational exchange," said Windon. "The Institute of International Education Records on the Fulbright Program is one of our most recent and largest collections on this topic, and we're grateful that the Fulbright Program's financial support will help us to process and make these extensive records accessible to researchers in the coming years." 

Kruhmin will be supported by Alejandra Gomez, Special Collections graduate assistant, and additional student employees as they work to organize and catalog the collection. Processing the materials will involve a detailed review and arrangement of records to ensure that they can be easily accessed and used by researchers once the project is completed. 

Until the IIE Records are fully processed, researchers interested in studying the Fulbright Program and international exchange can consult a number of other related collections. The Special Collections Division also holds the Council for International Exchange of Scholars Records (MC 703) and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Historical Collection (MC 468), which contain materials documenting the Fulbright Program prior to 1990. 

For more information about the IIE Records and other international exchange materials, visit the Libraries' International Education and Cultural Exchange Research Guide. 

The Fulbright Program funding will help support Kruhmin's efforts through the initial phase of the project, which is set to conclude in 2025. The University Libraries will provide additional support for the project for two more years, ensuring the collection's long-term accessibility. 

The records held by the University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections Division provide a window into the program's influence on global education over several decades. 

About the Fulbright Program: Since its founding in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and in all fields with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex challenges. Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program. In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.   

About the Institute of International Education: A global not-for-profit established in 1919, IIE is the first private organization facilitating international exchanges. IIE creates and implements international education programs, conducts research, and provides life-changing opportunities for students, scholars, and artists worldwide.