The Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminars: Pathways to International Partnerships

Authors

Rochelle Gregory, North Central Texas CollegeFollow
Kyle C. Kopko, Elizabethtown College
M. Grant Norton, Washington State University

Date of this Version

2020

Document Type

Article

Citation

From Internationalizing Honors, ed. Kim Klein and Mary Kay Mulvaney (Lincoln, NE: National Collegiate Honors Council, 2020)

Comments

Copyright © 2020 National Collegiate Honors Council

Abstract

While the benefits of studying abroad are well documented (e.g., Braskamp et al.; Lewis and Niesenbaum; Ludlum et al.; McCabe; Williams), honors administrators face significant challenges in internationalizing their honors programs and colleges. The U.S. Fulbright Commission, by partnering with commissions in France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and Taiwan to host programs for international education administrators from around the United States each year, is addressing the challenges of internationalizing American higher education. According to the Institute of International Education, the seminar in Germany in 1984–1985 was the first of its kind. Other seminars were added in 1986 (Japan), 1999 (Korea), 2012 (India), 2013 (France), and 2017 (Taiwan) (“The Power”). This chapter provides an overview of the German-American Fulbright Commission’s IEA seminar and outlines the seminar’s benefits and the opportunities it offers honors administrators working to internationalize their programs. The IEA application process requires a project statement, institutional statement, and letters of recommendation, including one from the applicant’s direct supervisor. Effective applications demonstrate an applicant’s “desire to learn about the host country’s education system as well as establish networks of U.S. and international colleagues” (“IEA Review Criteria”). The applicants’ administrative positions and willingness to share knowledge gained through the seminar are other important selection criteria. All applications are initially reviewed by a panel consisting of U.S. Fulbright IEA alumni. Applications are then forwarded to the specific country commission (in our case the German-American Fulbright Commission), which makes the final selection. All travel, accommodations, and program costs are covered by the Fulbright IEA Program.