BOONE, N.C. — A total of seven Appalachian State University faculty received Fulbright awards for 2019–20 as a result of the 2018 Fulbright competition: six as Fulbright Scholars and one as a Fulbright Administrator. This represents a record number of Fulbrights for Appalachian.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries — relations that are needed to solve global challenges.

Appalachian’s Office of International Education and Development (OIED) and Office of Research encourage and support faculty applications for Fulbright awards because of the program’s global benefits.

“The Fulbright Scholar program is one of the most prestigious programs funded by the U.S. government that has contributed toward people-to-people diplomacy over the last 60-plus years,” said Dr. Maria Anastasiou, OIED’s executive director.

“Faculty who participate in this program share academic knowledge with colleagues and students in other countries. Inevitably, they bring the knowledge they learned from this exchange back to the Appalachian students, faculty and staff,” Anastasiou said. “They also bring with them stronger intercultural communication skills, a better understanding of others and stronger empathy skills for other cultures. These are all important skills that Sen. Fulbright envisioned as outcomes of this program and ones that can contribute to stronger security and peace around the world.”

Last year, Appalachian and the College of Charleston tied as the top producer of Fulbrights among master’s institutions for 2018–19, with each having four Fulbright Scholars. The 2019 top producers will be announced later this year.

“Increasing international research opportunities is a priority at Appalachian. In the last couple of years, the Office of Research has been working collaboratively with OIED to assist faculty members applying for Fulbright fellowships by organizing workshops, hosting writing circles and helping with proposal development,” said Dr. Ece Karatan, vice provost for research.

“We believe that engaging in the global discourse is essential for the development of our students, faculty and staff in their pursuit of knowledge — wherever in the world it takes them.”

Among Appalachian’s 2019–20 recipients:

App State’s Dr. Paul Wallace engages in cross-cultural Fulbright collaboration in Russia to prepare international leaders

Nov. 1, 2019

Appalachian professor and 2019–20 Fulbright awardee Dr. Paul Wallace is spending the 2019–20 academic year teaching at NovSU in Russia and refining the curriculum for a new App State Online graduate certificate in international leadership.

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Fulbright awardee Dr. Richard Gray to ‘unite the sky’ through astronomical partnership with South Africa’s UFS

Nov. 1, 2019

During the 2019–20 academic year, Appalachian astronomy professor Dr. Richard Gray will teach and perform research at the University of the Free State in South Africa as part of his Fulbright award.

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Creative writing professor Mark Powell awarded Fulbright for teaching and research in Romania

Nov. 1, 2019

Powell, professor of creative writing at Appalachian, will teach a course on contemporary U.S. literature at Ovidius University of Constanta, in Romania, during spring 2020, as well as conduct research for his seventh novel.

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Fulbright awardee Dr. Christina Verano Sornito-Carter to conduct heritage conservation and disaster management research in the Philippines

Nov. 1, 2019

Appalachian’s Sornito-Carter, an assistant professor of anthropology, will travel to the University of the Philippines Visayas in August 2020 to complete Fulbright research on heritage conservation and disaster management in relation to climate change in the Philippines.

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Fulbright Scholar Dr. David Williams to study biopharmaceutical ecosystems in Austria

Nov. 1, 2019

Through the Fulbright Scholar Program, Williams, a professor in Appalachian’s Department of Nutrition and Health Care Management, will teach and perform research at Management Center Innsbruck in Austria in spring 2020.

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Dr. Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand awarded Fulbright to teach interdisciplinary courses in Austria

April 23, 2019

Sterling-Hellenbrand, professor of German and global studies in Appalachian’s Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, will serve as the Fulbright Visiting Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Graz in Austria in spring 2020.

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App State Fulbright Scholar Program

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

At App State, the program is administered through the Office of International Education and Development (OIED) and Office of Research.

Learn more

About the Office of International Education and Development

The OIED is responsible for spearheading the internationalization efforts at Appalachian. The internationalization mission of Appalachian is to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences in both domestic and international contexts in its students, faculty, staff and the surrounding communities. The university is also dedicated to creating a campus environment that builds the theoretical and practical skills needed to interact effectively in a global society. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.

About the Office of Research

Appalachian State University’s Office of Research provides support for the research, creative, and scholarly endeavors of Appalachian faculty, staff and students. The office consists of four units: Grants Resources and Services, Sponsored Programs, Research Design and Analysis, and Research Protections. The Office of Research also collaborates with the university’s Special Funds Accounting on the fiscal management of awarded projects. Learn more at https://research.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.