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Fulbright Program for U.S. Students

U.S. Fulbright Program
Adviser Newsletter

Issue 1 | May 2006

Focus on: Asia-Pacific Region
table of contents

 Program Updates

Useful points to keep in mind during the upcoming Fulbright Season

by Tony Claudino, Director, Fulbright Student Program Outreach

Online Application Overview and PowerPoint Presentation (PPT):
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program PowerPoint Presentation contains step-by-step instructions for using the Embark application manager. Some points to remember for the 2007-2008 application cycle:
  • You will no longer be notified if your students have started an on-line Fulbright application. Instead, IIE will send reminders throughout the application season to check your on-line applications periodically.
  • Letters of reference can now be uploaded for the Fulbright application.
  • FPAs will no longer need to move applications from the 'receive' to the 'manage' screen. IIE will do this for you.
  • Please make sure to review the PPT for further information.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program PowerPoint Presentation (PPT) and Notes:
You can find the Fulbright U.S. Student Program PowerPoint Presentation in the FPA section of the Fulbright Program website for U.S. students, under 'Information and Promotion; 'then, 'Outreach Materials' for access to the 'Fulbright PowerPoint Presentation.' Click here to go to the FPA Login Area.

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Overview of trends and issues for students interested in applying for a Fulbright Program in Asia

by IIE Staff

New Developments

Language Training Initiative:
The Language Training Initiative program is now available to candidates who wish to study Mandarin, Cantonese, or Korean prior to beginning their Fulbright projects. Before beginning the Fulbright grant, students will train for up to six months in either the host country of the Fulbright project or another appropriate country. The requirements of the grant include pre- and post-testing of the prospective Fulbrighter's knowledge of the language, as well as a clearly defined commitment to continuing the language study after the six-month training period. There is the potential for additional languages to be added, so consult the website frequently for updates. For more information, see: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/thinking_type.html#lang
Cambodia:
Fulbright U.S. Student awards are now available to Cambodia.
China:
The Fulbright Program in China has received a sizable increase in funding and we expect to offer at least 40 Fulbright U.S. Student grants there each year. Awards to China are available in all fields of study and projects in the arts and humanities are particularly encouraged. In addition, the program looks for geographic diversity in terms of where Fulbrighters are placed in China, so students should try to base their projects outside of Beijing and Shanghai when possible. All applicants should consult the China Affiliation Guide that is available at: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/chiaffil.html
Laos:
Fulbright U.S. Student awards are now available to Laos.
Macau:
In 2006 the Fulbright U.S. Student Program will send its first grantee to Macau.

Fulbright in the Asia-Pacific Region


Fulbright U.S. Student applications to the Asia-Pacific region increased by more than 76% between the 2000 and 2006 competitions. During this time, the number of English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) programs in the region increased from one to five and the proportion of applicants applying for ETA grants increased substantially. In 2000, ETA applicants represented approximately 11% of the applicant pool to Asia. By 2006, the share of ETA applications had increased to over 37% of the total and the number of applications for traditional Fulbright Full grants in Asia decreased by 15% from the previous year.

Jessica Jarrett
(Jessica Jarrett, 2005-2006, Long Island University, Southampton Campus, Biology, Australia) Jessica Jarrett, tagging coral in Queensland, Australia.
One of the most pervasive myths about the Fulbright Program in Asia is that an applicant must have prior knowledge of the host country language in order to be competitive for a Fulbright grant there. In fact, this is only true for the Fulbright Full grant programs in China, Indonesia, and Japan. Since Mandarin Chinese and Japanese are the most commonly taught Asian languages in the United States, it is reasonable to assume that many candidates would have the chance to study the languages through undergraduate coursework or study abroad experiences. However, courses in Khmer, Mongolian, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese are not readily available to most Americans. Applicants to countries where the local language is not commonly taught in the U.S., while not required to speak the language at the time of application, should include plans to study the language in the host country concurrent with their Fulbright research should they be offered awards.

(Xiao Li Tan, 2005-2006, NYU, Film Studies, China) Xiao Li Tan, filming the opening gala for the 3rd annual 798 Dashanzi Art festival in Beijing, China.
Another barrier to attracting students to design Fulbright proposals for programs in the Asia-Pacific region lies in the fact that the vast majority of Americans who study abroad choose to do so in Western Europe, while a paltry six percent study abroad in Asia. Not surprisingly, four of the top study abroad destinations in Western Europe (Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and France) also receive the greatest numbers of Fulbright applications.

While the proliferation of ETA program opportunities in Asia has likely contributed to the decline in the relative number of Fulbright full grant applications to the region, full grant applications to the Southeast Asian programs has been noticeably stagnant. Most of America's interest tends to center on the regional giants China and Japan. In addition, there are relatively few Southeast Asian Studies Programs at U.S. colleges and universities even at campuses that have strong Chinese or Japanese studies programs. As a result, Fulbright application rates to countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand lag behind those of the programs in Northeast Asia. An added problem is the perceived danger and instability of the region, which probably deters many potential candidates who would otherwise be interested in Southeast Asian Fulbright opportunities.

Tobias J. Smith
(Tobias J. Smith, 2005-2006, Oberlin College, East Asian Studies, China) Tobias J. Smith visiting his local research site, San Guan temple in Shanghai, China. Tobias has the distinction of being a third generation Fulbrighter, whose mother, father and grandfather all received grants. Photo taken by 2005-2006 Fulbrighter Pamela Chen (Syracuse University, Journalism, Taiwan).

ENGLISH TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP (ETA) PROGRAMS IN ASIA


The Fulbright U.S. Student Program currently offers ETA grants in five Asian countries: Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand. A common feature of these ETA programs is that none of them require any prior knowledge of the host country or the local language. In addition, ETA Fulbrighters are typically placed in schools outside of the major cities where there are fewer chances for students to interact with native English speakers. ETA candidates need to convey a strong commitment to the intensive cultural immersion inherent to a program that places its grantees in teaching roles abroad. Interest in the local culture, along with the pedagogical strategies that the applicants will bring to their classrooms, need to come through in the Fulbright project proposal. Plans for community involvement and/or small side projects can be helpful, but they cannot be location specific and must be feasible given the time constraints that teaching responsibilities will impose.

The Fulbright ETA program in Indonesia has grown rapidly since its inception and there is a strong possibility that the number of grants available will increase again for the 2007-2008 program year. In spite of this, the number of applications for the ETA program in Indonesia has not kept pace with the expanding opportunities there. In 2006 only 34 applications were submitted for the 20 grants available. Students interested in ETA programs in Asia who are not necessarily set on a particular country should be encouraged to apply to the program in Indonesia.

ASIA AND THE ARTS


As with many other programs in the non-western world, the Fulbright Program in Asia do not receive a high proportion of applications in the creative and performing arts (6.6% in 2006). This is in spite of the fact that all of the programs in the region are open to projects in the arts and that Asian cultures have innumerable artistic traditions, many of which are little known or completely unknown in the West. Candidates in the arts should be encouraged to consider applying for Fulbright opportunities in Asia since they often design projects that can be very individual and more unique than some of those in the traditional academic fields, which appeals to many of the Fulbright Commissions and Posts overseas.

LOOKING FORWARD


The 2007-2008 Fulbright competition will mark the first time that U.S. Student applications will be accepted for Cambodia and Laos and will hopefully encourage more candidates to consider a Fulbright experience in Southeast Asia. Although the application rates to Southeast Asia have been somewhat anemic over the years, the emergence of three ETA programs there (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand) is helping to spur interest in the region. The number of grant opportunities in one or more of the Southeast Asian ETA programs will likely increase during the upcoming year

The Fulbright U.S. Student program to China received over 140 applications in 2006, making it number one in the region for Fulbright Full grant applications for the first time. There will be approximately 50 U.S. Student Fulbrighters going to China in 2006-2007, and increasing funding levels mean that there should be at least 40 grants to China each year in the future. Application levels to Australia remain strong (113 applications received in 2006 for 14 awards) and this is expected to continue in the future. Japan has seen somewhat of a decline in Fulbright applications in spite of the relatively high number of awards offered there. This could be because many Asian Studies students are now focusing on China in larger numbers than in the past, but it is too early to tell whether the drop in interest in Japan will be a long-term phenomenon.

Overall, interest in the Asia-Pacific region has grown substantially since 2000 because of the expansions of the ETA programs and the Full grant program in China. Opportunities within the region will continue to grow in the near future and the demand for applicants for Fulbright Full grants remains high.

Jonathan E. Akeley is the Program Officer for U.S. Students applying for Fulbright grants to the Asia/Pacific Region, and he can be reached at (212) 984-5487 or jakeley@iie.org.



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Fulbright FPA Survey 2006-07 Application Cycle

by Tony Claudino, Director, Fulbright Student Program Outreach

The analysis of the results, see link below, includes responses from 378 Fulbright Program Advisers (FPAs) to the survey. For this issue of the newsletter, we have focused on sharing the responses related to the new website and promotion materials for Fulbright Program Advisers. We hope that this feedback will help institutions assess and expand on current practices in their campaigns to promote the Fulbright Program on campus.
Our findings indicate that:
  • 65% of responding institutions have added their campus deadline to the Fulbright Program website for U.S. students.
  • Fulbright Faculty Alumni are frequently used to help recruit students.
  • The top four methods for publicizing the Fulbright Program are: (1) working closely with professors on campus to identify potential candidates; (2) advertising around campus using posters and flyers; (3) targeting specific students or organizations on campus; and (4) working with study abroad offices.
  • The top four types of clubs contacted and targeted: (1) academic; (2) student associations; (3) language clubs; and (4) ethnic clubs
  • 90% of the FPAs believed that the Fulbright Program website for U.S. students is an effective tool.
To view the complete results, please visit following link (password: fpa) http://iie.websurveyor.net/wswebtop.dll/WSPubReport?esid=32&subaccountid=Claudino159

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Allison Lipshutz Silverman's Fulbright Experiences 2005-2006 (Brown University, Environmental Studies, Panama)

by Allison Lipshutz Silverman

Loma Bonita, an agricultural community in the interior of the Republic of Panama, is not that far away; however, when I am living in my house in the mountains with my host family there, it seems as though I am in a different world. I feel far from my new-found Panamanian friends and newly furnished apartment in Panama City. But I am not that far. Similarly, I feel as if I am a long way away from my family in New York City, from my alma mater in Rhode Island, and from my friends who, like me, have currently spread out throughout the world. But I am neither that distant nor isolated.
Allie Lipshutz Silverman
Allie Lipshutz Silverman visiting the market in Loma Bonita, Panama.
I have just begun my year with the Fulbright in Panama researching the feasibility of solar energy as a form of renewable electricity and sustainable development. The community of Loma Bonita poses a particularly interesting possibility because there is currently no electricity. It is located far enough from the central grid that bringing electricity to the community has not yet been accomplished. However, although physically it may seem far away, the community still suffers the effects of the rising gasoline prices and the environmental damage that has resulted from unsustainable development.

In Loma Bonita, when the sun sets at 6:15 PM, residents must use flashlights, candles and kerosene lamps to see and finish the uncompleted work from the daytime. Yet, not everyone in the community can afford a kerosene lamp. It is becoming difficult for many to even use flashlights given that the prices of batteries have increased because it costs more to transport them.

While I found it romantic and peaceful to live for a few weeks in such a place with no electricity, this situation wasn't as appreciated by the community members who have no choice but to live this way. I loved playing dominoes by candlelight, eating dinner as my shadow danced on the kitchen's cement walls, and talking in darkness. I appreciated being able to see the constellations clearly; I felt very connected with the natural cycle of the day; I got ample sleep; and, I had an abundance of energy for every new day. But, after a few weeks of enjoying life this way, I returned to Panama City where lights are on 24-hours each day, leaving Loma Bonita in the darkness.

Through my work, I found that the community members believe that not only is electricity important, but also necessary. They believe they could use light to study more, with greater clarity and facility; they could improve their nutrition by eating foods that require refrigeration; and they could have more businesses.

Although Loma Bonita does not have electricity, they are not removed from what is going on in the more developed areas of the country. Many knew about solar energy even if they didn't understand the technology. They want and believe that they need to develop as well and believe that solar energy could provide an avenue to do so. Loma Bonita may be physically distant from other communities, but it's really not that far away.


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Tips for Conducting Fulbright Outreach to Diverse Applicants

by IIE Staff

1)

Work with faculty to identify and pursue good potential applicants. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to advertise the Fulbright Program and professors, who may have been Fulbrighters themselves, can identify and encourage their students or advisees to pursue applying to the program.

2)

Schedule Fulbright information sessions and send targeted emails to invite members of ethnic clubs or other minority-serving campus organizations. Similarly, send targeted, personalized messages to students at all academic levels. Make sure to encourage all candidates to begin preparing early.

3)

Make time for personal meetings with individual students, in addition to holding regular information sessions for larger groups of students. Again, meeting with students one-on-one can go a long way in terms of making a student feel that the Fulbright Program is something that is a viable opportunity for them upon graduation.

4)

Invite Fulbright alumni of color to speak during an information session. No one can better address the issue of what it is like to be a Fulbrighter than someone who has been through the application process and has been on a program overseas. By inviting Fulbright alumni of color, you will be sending the message to prospective candidates that the program is open to students of all backgrounds.

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