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Fulbright Scholars

Faculty and students from across the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) have studied around the world through the Fulbright Scholar Program. The prestigious Fulbright Program is the largest United States international exchange program awarding scholars with grants to conduct teaching and research abroad. Established in 1946 and named for its founder, U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright, the program links America with foreign countries and strengthens cultural bonds through education.

In recent years, nearly a dozen faculty members from CSUS universities have participated in the Fulbright Program. Successful candidates are active in the academic, public or private sector and demonstrate outstanding qualifications and a distinguished record of experience, research and accomplishments.

Currently, CSUS has two professors overseas with the Fulbright Program. Eric Martin, associate professor of management in the Department of Business Administration at Eastern, is teaching public administration and policy at the University of Belgrade in Serbia.

"I find this environment fascinating because I am teaching change and transition to the future leaders of this country. In our classroom discussions all of us benefit as I am learning more about my students every day," Martin said in an email from Serbia.

Lee Wonsick Lee, Central professor of Management and Organization is at the University of Korea in Seoul, conducting research and lecturing on United States society and business management. "As a cultural ambassador, I plan to explore social issues in management and pursue research in comparing cultural values and management practices in the United States and in Korea," said Lee.

Christopher Kukk, Western professor of political science, taught economic and political science courses to undergraduates and graduate students during ten months in Estonia at the University of Tartu. Kukk, who returned to Western for the current academic year said his connections with the university continue benefitting his students at Western.

Laura Anne Macaluso, former adjunct professor of art history at Southern, spent part of 2008 in Swaziland lecturing and conducting research and program development at the Swaziland National Museum.

Richard Jones-Bamman, professor of performing arts at Eastern Connecticut State University, was selected as a Fulbright Scholar for the Spring 2006 semester and taught at Sweden"s Umea University.

Professor David Stoloff represented Eastern at Chiang Mai Rejabhat University in Thailand through a Fulbright Administrative Exchange in 2008. Colleague Lisa Rowe Fraustino spent 2006 lecturing on children"s literature in Thailand at Mahasarakham University as a Fulbright Faculty Scholar. Faustino helped create a graduate program for teachers to learn how to use children"s books to teach English. James Russell, Eastern professor of sociology was named to a five-year term (2001-06) as a Fulbright Senior Specialist, lecturing in Madrid, Spain; Salzburg, Austria; and Brno, Czech Republic.

While at Central, Megan Alubicki, was awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship in 2007 that allowed her to conduct research in Sweden and Belgium. Oluwole Owoye, professor of economics at Western, was a visiting Senior Fulbright Scholar at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2003, where he taught in the collaborative Ph.D. program for West, East and Southern Africa. Since 2004, he has been a visiting professor of monetary economics at the African Economic research Consortium in Nairobi, Kenya.

Southern's Leon Yacher traveled to Krygyz State National University in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in Spring 2003 to organize a geography program. Southern's Professor of English Cynthia Stretch taught two courses on American literature as a means to cope with tragedy at the University of Barcelona in 2005. Professor of Management/MIS Ellen Frank traveled to the Stockholm School of economics, to work with student research projects and organize a major conference on human development.

The first-hand experiences of CSUS faculty in academic settings across the globe provide exceptional insight for students here in Connecticut for years afterwards, especially important as today"s students prepare to take their place leading our increasingly global society.