This badge signifies App State’s status as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright scholars and students for the 2025–26 academic year. The university is the only master’s institution nationwide to receive the honor this year. Image courtesy of the Fulbright Program
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University is one of seven colleges and universities nationwide named a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright scholars and students for the 2025–26 academic year, according to the U.S. Department of State and Institute of International Education. The university is the only U.S. master’s institution to receive the honor this year.
Three App State faculty and three alumni were awarded 2025–26 Fulbrights to study, teach and/or research abroad through the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.
“At App State, we view the Fulbright program as a vital bridge between our university and the global community,” said App State Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Neva J. Specht. “By fostering these international partnerships, our scholars and students are not only advancing their own research and scholarship but are also contributing to a broader cultural exchange that addresses the complex, interconnected challenges of our modern world.”
This marks the fourth time App State has been named a Top Producing Institution for both Fulbright students and scholars, and the seventh time the university has earned the distinction of being a top producer of Fulbright scholars, in particular.
App State’s annual International Education Week, which promotes global engagement, cultural exchange and international education, offers in-person and virtual workshops for students, faculty and staff to learn more about opportunities available through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program and the Fulbright U.S. Student Program — as well as tips and tricks for preparing a successful Fulbright application. These workshops are organized by App State’s Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships and Office of International Programs.
Access the list of 2025–26 Top Producing Institutions for Fulbright scholars and students.
Fulbright Specialist Program award recipient Dr. Leonardo Flores, professor in and chair of App State’s Department of English, third from left in the back row, is pictured with faculty and graduate students in the Digital Humanities program at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur. Photo submitted
Faculty Fulbright recipients
App State’s three faculty Fulbright recipients for the 2025–26 award cycle:
2025–26 Fulbright Scholar Richard Elaver, professor of industrial design in App State’s Department of Applied Design. Photo submitted
2025–26 Fulbright Scholar Dr. Lynn Gibbard, professor of communication studies in App State’s Department of Communication. Photo submitted
2025–26 Fulbright Scholar Dr. Jessica Martell, associate professor in App State’s Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. Photo by Marie Freeman
2025–26 Fulbright Scholar Dr. Jessica Martell, associate professor in App State’s Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, gives a talk titled “Plantation Mentalities and Modern Irish Literature” as part of the English program’s 2026 Research Seminar Series at Queen’s University Belfast. Martell serves as the 2025-26 Fulbright-Queen’s University Belfast Scholar in Irish Studies. Photo courtesy of Dr. Jessica Martell
Additionally, Dr. Leonardo Flores, professor in and chair of App State’s Department of English, received a Fulbright Specialist Program award to engage in a two-week project on digital writing in the age of AI at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India, in August 2025. While there, Flores taught a short course, served as a guest lecturer, delivered a public presentation and connected with faculty and students in the institution’s Digital Humanities program.
App State support for faculty applying to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is provided by the Office of International Programs and the university’s Fulbright liaisons, Fulbright alumni Dr. Christopher Seitz and Dr. Katherine Ledford.
Dr. Lynn Gibbard, professor of communications studies at App State, second from left, is pictured with other 2025–26 Fulbright scholars in Austria. Gibbard received a Fulbright appointment at the University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg in Austria, to teach seminars on “American Studies in Media and Military Culture: Building Intercultural Understanding.” Photo courtesy of Dr. Lynn Gibbard
Alumni Fulbright recipients
Of the more than 11,500 applicants nationally for the 2025–26 Fulbright Student Program award cycle, less than 17% received a Fulbright award. A total of 21 students/alumni have become Fulbrighters in App State’s history, with 16 selected within the last seven award cycles.
App State’s three alumni Fulbright recipients for the 2025–26 award cycle:
2025-26 Fulbright Student and App State alumna Ashley Benitez-Flores ’25. Photo submitted
2025-26 Fulbright Student and App State alumna Amanda Bruckstein ’25 is pictured in Haifa, Israel. Photo submitted
2025-26 Fulbright Student and App State alumnus Connor Montanya ’24 ’25. Photo submitted
App State students and alumni interested in applying for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program receive support throughout the application process from the university’s Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships (NCS). Visit the Nationally Competitive Scholarships website and/or contact the office at [email protected] to learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and application process.
About the Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, now in its 80th year, was established in 1946 to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries. Funded primarily by an annual congressional appropriation to the U.S. Department of State, the initiative has empowered over 400,000 Fulbrighters to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems.
Applicants are vetted by their institutions before moving to review at the National Screening Committee level, where applications are reviewed by experts in the field/geographic region from institutions across the U.S.
Over 800 U.S. college and university faculty and administrators and approximately 2,000 U.S. students are awarded Fulbright grants annually. In addition, some 4,000 Fulbright foreign students and visiting scholars come to the U.S. annually to study, lecture, conduct research or teach their native language.
What do you think?
Share your feedback on this story.
About the Office of International Programs
Appalachian State University combines a strong liberal arts foundation with a comprehensive, pervasive and integrated commitment to global engagement. The Office of International Programs assists App State in fulfilling its global engagement mission by working to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences — in both domestic and international contexts — in the university’s students, faculty and staff, as well as in the surrounding communities. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.
About Nationally Competitive Scholarships
Nationally Competitive Scholarships (NCS) works with the Appalachian community to recruit and support students for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships, including those that support research, teaching and critical language learning. This is achieved with outreach, mentorship and advising throughout the entire application and selection process. NCS is committed to helping undergraduate and graduate students find ways to connect their Appalachian education to their future endeavors through scholarship opportunities. Learn more at https://ncs.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, 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, cost-effective education. 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.
