Fulbright Program Adviser
Newsletter

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Mailing Applications to IIE – 10 Steps

October 20, 2006 (Midnight, Pacific) is the deadline for the submission of electronic applications
October 23, 2006 (Close of Business) is the deadline for the receipt of hard copy applications
MAIL THE HARD COPY APPLICATIONS TO IIE
Applications and all communications should be directed to:

U.S. Student Programs
Institute of International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
New York NY 10017-3580

All hard copy applications from your school should be sent in one package by registered or express mail so that they can be traced, if necessary. Please note that registered mail takes longer than regular mail, and sufficient lead time should be allowed between the mailing date and the deadline date. Applications must be received at IIE in New York by 5:00 pm EST October 23. Each application must have all the necessary companion documents (i.e., letters of reference, Foreign Language Report, etc.).

1) Submit only one original, complete hard copy application for each student, collated by the form number.

2) Make sure applications are complete, containing all required support documents. Double check the #5 Student Record Card in the application to make sure the form is complete and correct.

3) Open all support documents, e.g., recommendations, transcripts, etc. It is not necessary to keep attached envelopes or transcript label for applications that you send to IIE.

4) Do not staple any pieces to the application. Paper clips/paper clamps only.

5) Include the campus rating on the upper right corner of page 1.

6) Make sure all applications are signed by the applicant on the bottom of page 1.

7) Enclose supplementary material for applicants in the creative and performing arts. (The Supplementary Materials Record form #11 should accompany this material.)

8) Submit a letter of transmittal (i.e., a cover letter), listing the names of students whose applications are enclosed, the country for which each is applying, and the rating assigned to each applicant by the Campus Committee.

9) Please include a description of your campus committee, i.e., number of faculty participants, in your cover letter.

10) Confirm receipt of the hard copies at IIE with your sender.

Applying to the Near East/North Africa

U.S. Student Fulbright applications to the Near East/North Africa increased by nearly 56% between 2000 and 2006; 198 applications were received in 2000, and 309 were received in 2006. These figures undoubtedly reflect increased student interest in the region. The development of the Islamic Civilization Initiative has also contributed to the increase in the applicant pool, although the scope of this initiative is worldwide, and not limited solely to the Near East/North Africa region.

Will Raynolds, 2005-2006, Jordan.

The four countries in the region with binational Fulbright Commissions -- Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Morocco -- typically receive the majority of applications. Not surprisingly, most grantees who apply to this region are concentrated in these countries. In their individual country summaries, each program posts the specific number of grants offered during a given academic year. However, these figures represent only the grants which the Commissions themselves expect to fund, and do not include any additional grants funded through other sources, such as the Islamic Civilization Initiative. (For example, Morocco publicized 9 awards for 2006, but ultimately accepted 18 Fulbright students.)

Among the non-Commission countries, Syria is by far the most popular. It received 33 applications in 2006, 16 of which were awarded Fulbright grants. The remaining countries in the region -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen -- tend to receive fewer applications, but are open to candidates at all degree levels.

For most countries in the region, candidates who make it past the first round of the competition and are ultimately offered grants will have their institutional affiliations arranged by the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in their host country. Applicants are nevertheless strongly encouraged to be pro-active in securing good in-country contacts early in the process. While many Commissions and U.S. Embassies ultimately reserve the right to place grantees with the appropriate host institutions, it would still behoove applicants to secure letters of support from their prospective affiliate institutions. At minimum, such letters benefit their applications by demonstrating initiative and maturity. (Candidates are advised to check the relevant country summary for more specific details.)

Candidates who have a strong foundation in Arabic, and who wish to devote their Fulbright year solely to further study/mastery of the language, may submit proposals focused on Arabic language study. Applications from those with no prior knowledge of the language would not be viable. Egypt, Jordan, and Syria are the only countries with an established record of accepting this kind of proposal, and it is therefore not recommended that candidates submit language study-only proposals to any other country in the region.

All of the countries in the Near East/North Africa would be perfectly acceptable locations for projects geared toward the Islamic Civilization Initiative although candidates should not assume that any application to this region will automatically be a good fit, as this initiative is geared toward those focused on study of Islam as a religion, Islamic arts, history, finance, etc.

Finally, the Critical Language Enhancement Awards may benefit projects carried out in these countries, as Arabic and Farsi are among the languages supported through this opportunity for pre-grant language training.

Fulbright in the South Asia Region

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program in India is the pre-dominant destination for most applications to South Asia. In the 2006-2007 competition, India ranked sixth worldwide in terms of most applications received for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. All of the attention paid to India tends to overlook the excellent project possibilities available in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. While India alone attracted 161 applications in 2006, the rest of the South Asian programs combined only received a total of 48 applications.

Michael Baltutis, 2005-2006, Nepal.

Candidates applying to South Asia are eligible to apply for the Fulbright Critical Language Enhancement Awards to study South Asian languages. This is a particularly important benefit for applicants to this region since South Asian languages are taught at relatively few U.S. colleges and universities. Candidates designing projects involving Muslim communities in South Asia should consider applying for Islamic Civilization Initiative Awards, since this program is applicable to any country with a sizable Muslim population.

Given some of the recent unrest in various parts of South Asia, questions frequently come in from applicants and advisers who are wondering if Fulbright Programs are still operating there. The answer at the moment is that the Fulbright U.S. Student Programs in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are all up and running. Should this change in the future, the announcement of the change will appear on the Fulbrightonline.org website. At this time, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in Pakistan is suspended and it is unlikely to reopen at any point in the near future, and there is no Fulbright U.S. Student Program in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Student Program in Central Asia

The countries within the Central Asia region (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan) continue to attract outstanding candidates with intriguing project ideas. All of the countries within this region are experiencing exciting changes and developments attracting candidates in a variety of fields from horticulture to women’s studies to public health. Competitive candidates include project ideas that are well versed in the issues specific to the region. Contrary to the general guideline favoring candidates without prior overseas experience, regional prior experience within Central Asia is seen as an advantage. Candidates are still recommended to choose a different country within Central Asia from where they have studied or lived before, but any prior living experience in one of the three countries can be beneficial to an application.

Furthermore, all three countries serve as excellent locations for projects geared for the Islamic Civilization program. The Critical Language Enhancement Awards can also benefit project ideas to Central Asia as Russian, Tajik and Uzbek are all languages used in the region and offered as part of this unique pre-grant opportunity.

Making the Fulbright Program Accesible to Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) -- the Jackson State University Case Study

This article aims to share about the experience of Jackson State University (JSU) in its efforts to increase participation in the Fulbright Student Program.

An historically black, Carnegie, doctoral/research-intensive public institution, JSU educates a diverse student population drawn from Mississippi, around the United States, and many foreign countries. The University provides a broad range of baccalaureate programs and a variety of master's and doctoral programs in its 6 colleges. These colleges are: Business; Education and Human Development; Liberal Arts; Lifelong Learning; Public Service; and Science, Engineering and Technology. JSU is a learning community for highly capable students, as well as capable but under-prepared students who require a nurturing academic environment.  Lastly, JSU has also been designated by the Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning as Mississippi’s urban university. Located in Jackson, Mississippi, the geographical, political, industrial and cultural center of the state, the University is a living, learning "urban studio" comprised of one main campus and three satellite campuses in different locations of the metropolitan area.

A Legacy of Success

JSU’s history, as is the case with other historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Mississippi (and the South in general), began within the context of Mississippi’s history of racial segregation; a system of exclusion that permeated every aspect of society, including higher education. Nevertheless, the university has made great strides in enhancing the academic performance of students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout its 134 year history.

Yet, despite our university’s overall success in the area of academic performance, we still face many obstacles in ensuring that our students are appropriately engaged in the arena of global education. The good news is that in 2003 the university elevated its Office of International Programs to the Division of International Studies which is presently headed by Dean Ally Mack. This was followed in 2004 by the creation of the Exchanges and Linkages Program which is presently staffed by two persons, the Director of Exchanges and Linkages and the Study Abroad Coordinator. The goals of this unit are to:

• Facilitate linkage relationships with overseas universities, institutions and organizations;
• Facilitate and/or develop programs and activities which enhance the involvement of faculty, staff and administration in the global arena; and
• Develop study abroad programs for undergraduate and graduate students in collaboration with university faculty and staff at JSU, as well as other HBCU institutions in Mississippi.

Our Strategic Vision and the Fulbright Student Program

Of these 3 core functional areas, the third speaks to what we view as our central mission, which is to prepare students to be effective leaders in a world of change. It is our vision that within the next 10-20 years, JSU graduates, across the varied disciplines will be exemplary leaders within all sectors of our society, and will possess the knowledge and skill competencies to perform exceptionally well in a global society.

To this end, we firmly believe that the Fulbright Student Program can play an important role in helping us to achieve our vision. Since December 2004, we have been working with IIE to enhance student participation in the Fulbright Student Program. It is the goal of all State Department-supported programs, including the Fulbright Program, to increase the participation of African-American, Hispanic and other underrepresented student populations.  From our perspective, this is a critically important goal.

Our Seven-Point Plan of Action

At JSU, we have adopted the following eight-point plan to boost student participation in the Fulbright Program:

• Develop a written blueprint outlining actionable goals and objectives.
• Take advantage of activities offered in support of the Fulbright Program, including networking opportunities, faculty and staff participation in informational seminars, and on-going communication.
• Increase on-campus outreach, including website postings and e-mail blasts; classroom presentations; presentations during annual faculty, staff and student orientations; regular distribution of electronic newsletters; the establishment of a study abroad resource center and a host of other activities aimed at spreading the word about study abroad.
• Increase student participation in study abroad (the present goal is 50 students per year) and scholarship programs that assist with the related financial costs (e.g., the Gilman Scholarship program).
• Explore creative use of other Fulbright programs (e.g., the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program (FLTA) and the Fulbright Visiting Specialists programs) in ways that support study abroad programming efforts.
• Initiate annual faculty seminars to provide in-depth briefings on programming trends and to ascertain challenges and obstacles to increased faculty and student participation in study abroad.
• Maintain ongoing communications and cultivate working relationships with JSU administrators, faculty and staff who demonstrate a desire to promote the internationalization of higher education and study abroad opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
• Form the Advisory Council on Competitive International Scholarships to coordinate campus wide efforts and solicit greater faculty involvement in student outreach and recruitment, particularly for those scholarships with more rigorous eligibility criteria.

Successes and Challenges

Successes

The above plan of action has been implemented in various stages over the past 2 years. In this short period of time, we have achieved some remarkable successes. First, we have significantly increased the visibility and profile of our study abroad programming efforts. As our first year of implementation was primarily devoted to planning, the relocation of our office headquarters, staff reorganization and hiring, it was during the second year that we sent two groups abroad. The first group of 7 students spent a semester in Costa Rica studying Spanish and learning about the history, culture and realities of Afro-Latino populations. The highlight of the program included one week of service-learning in the Afro-Costa Rican populated city of Limon. The following summer semester, thanks to a generous donation by former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, we were able to send our first ever group comprised of 9 students to China for an intensive 8-week program in language and cultural studies. Moreover, we were also able to send students on individual programs to other countries such as Nicaragua, Mexico, Israel and China. Thus, in less than one year, we have achieved almost half of our programming goal of 50 students per year!

This small spurt in programming activities has had a contagious effect as students represent the best and most effective way of spreading the word about study abroad. As more students come by to learn about our programs and related scholarship opportunities, we are also able to spread the word about the Fulbright Student Program. Moreover, students who have participated in our Costa Rican and Chinese programs are now thinking about life after graduation, and how they can continue their engagement in the international arena. More and more of these students are asking questions about the Fulbright Student Program.

Finally, with FLTA scholars from Chinese and Arabic-speaking countries, strategic support is being provided in ways that boost student interest in foreign language fluency and study abroad. Our FLTA Scholar from China is assisting with two Chinese classes, one of which boasts of approximately 30 students. In the area of Arabic studies, the other FLTA scholar is conducting non-certificate courses. Her efforts will be complemented during spring semester 2007 with the 6-week residency of a Visiting Scholar in Islamic studies. As these activities are in progress, we are negotiating the reactivation of our relationship with the University Zagazig in Egypt, so as to provide summer and semester study abroad opportunities in Arabic and Islamic studies.

Challenges

During the summer of 2005, we attempted to actively promote the Fulbright Student Program for the first time in many years. We began with a small cohort of seniors and graduate students; however, after Hurricane Katrina, lives and routines were so disrupted that only 1 student successfully completed and submitted her application. With the formation of this year’s Advisory Council, we hope that faculty will play a more active role in student outreach. However, we also realize that it takes time for newly created committees to consolidate around a shared sense of purpose, and that it may take another year or two before this body is fully active and operational.