Fulbright Programme Expands in Wales

01 November 2011

(From the UK Fulbright Commission)
In conjunction with Fulbright announcing its largest cohort of scholars for 20 years (a 24 percent increase on last year), 2011 also sees the greatest number of exchanges between Wales the USA for quite some time. Building on the long-standing relationship with Cardiff University, this number has been bolstered by a Wales themed Summer Institute hosted by three Welsh universities: Aberystwyth and Bangor and Cardiff. This was a six week summer programme for American undergraduates to explore Welsh culture and geography.
 
And the traffic has not all been one way, with Welshman Tomos Lewis winning the prestigious Alistair Cooke Award to study journalism at Columbia University. In total, 13 exchanges will take place during 2011-12.

Recipients include:

• Hailing from the from the industrial valleys of south-east Wales, E Wyn James reader at Cardiff University and co-Director of the Cardiff Centre for Welsh American Studies, will be a Visiting UK Scholar at Harvard University.
• First language Welsh-speaker and broadcast assistant at the BBC, Tomos Lewis will refine his broadcast journalism skills as an Alistair Cooke Scholar at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
• Anna Hellman has traded Kentucky for Cardiff, as she runs pre-clinical studies and completes her MPhil.
• Fulbright-Cardiff University Scholar Stefan A Frisch will conduct research in the Psychology department on the mental organisation of complex words.
• Eight U.S. undergraduate students from the across the U.S., participated in the Wales Summer Institute programme this summer.

Fulbright remains the only organisation offering scholarships for study or research in any field, at any accredited U.S. or UK university. Exchange schemes vary greatly in terms of level and field of study: from the Distinguished Chair Awards for senior-level academics and Police Research Fellowships to the undergraduate-level U.S. Summer Institutes programmes on topics such as Civic Activism and Environmental Stewardship. Yet, all awards are united under a common aim “to generate a deeper understanding of the differing cultures and peoples of the world” as described by the late Senator Fulbright. Recipients will be tomorrow’s leaders and support the next generation to value “the special relationship” between the US and UK.

Funding for the Fulbright Commission’s exchange programme comes from both the U.S. and UK governments, as well as partnerships with British universities and research charities. The university partnerships ensure scholars take advantage of centres of academic excellence right across the UK.

Responding to the announcement, Penny Egan, Executive Director, said:
“To see Wales host such a successful summer school will boost its profile as a higher education destination of choice for Americans. We hope to continue to expand the programme in Wales and see a further increase in Trans-Atlantic exchange in the coming years.”

Commenting on the new cohort, Michael Scott-Kline, Director of the Fulbright Awards Programme, said:
“There are now more opportunities than ever for students and professionals to engage with the Fulbright Programme, with universities across the whole of the UK now very well represented in the programme. While Fulbright exchanges continue to promote learning and understanding between cultures through international exchange, Fulbright scholars contribute to an international network of professional and academic researchers, students and teachers who work not only in their fields, but serve as a community of cultural ambassadors as well. In the year ahead, Fulbright will continue to deepen the relationship between our two countries with a greater emphasis on community outreach, investment in projects for a greener future and celebrating research excellence.”

Details regarding the awards, including biographies of the 2011-12 scholars, can be found on the Fulbright website.