Project Overview

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Fulbright Scholar Grants for U.S. Faculty and
Professionals Kelley Melendez Office of
International Studies UCF April 27, 2004
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Why Consider a Fulbright?

• Discover new research directions
• Gain new teaching insights
• Share your knowledge
• Understand your discipline in a global context
• Meet international colleagues and establish
  long-term professional relationships
• Allow family to experience a different culture

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Eligibility Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• A Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal
  degree in your field
• For professionals and artists outside academia,
  recognized professional standing and substantial
  accomplishments
• Teaching experience as required by award
• No felonies

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Language Requirements

• Most lecturing awards are in English
• Research awards require knowledge of language as
  appropriate for project
• Latin American countries may require Spanish or
  Portuguese
• Francophone Africa generally requires French
• Some awards in the Middle East require Arabic

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Traditional Worldwide Awards

• 800 faculty and professionals
• Awards in 140 countries
• Application deadline AUGUST 1

Research
20
Lecturing Lecturing / Research
80
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Seminars for International Education
Administrators

• Three-week group programs in Germany, Japan and
  Korea
• Open to full-time education administrators
  directly involved with international programs
• Application Deadline NOVEMBER 1

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German Studies Seminar

• Intensive three-week group summer seminars in
  Germany
• Each seminar has a specific thematic focus. The
  program will begin in Berlin and include visits
  to other cities in eastern and western Germany.
• Open to scholars in fields related to the topic
  or in German Studies with full-time teaching
  appointments
• Application Deadline NOVEMBER 1

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Senior Specialists Program

• Two- to six-week consulting opportunities with
  foreign colleagues and institutions
• Structured to meet the needs of foreign
  institutions
• Academic matchmaking process
• Online application with rolling deadline

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New Century Scholar Program

• Thirty eminent scholars and professionals from
  the U.S. and abroad work collaboratively to
  examine a theme of transnational significance
• Participants maintain contact and exchange
  research ideas during the program year
• New Century Scholar Distinguished Leader directs
  a culminating plenary seminar
• Application Deadline DECEMBER 15

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Alumni Initiatives Awards Program

• Small institutional grants to former Fulbrighters
  to create sustainable, mutually beneficial
  institutional relationships between home and host
  institutions
• Proposal should demonstrate evidence of
  commitment of scholars home institution
• Examples distance learning innovations, summer
  seminars, curriculum development
• Application Deadline FEBRUARY 15

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How to Apply for Traditional Program

• Go to CIES Web site www.cies.org
• Use online awards catalog and application
• Read Frequently Asked Questions
• Read Tips for Prospective Applicants and
  program overview
• Consult Web site for updated award information

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Selecting an Award

• Decide if you want to lecture, research or do
  both
• Check discipline and professional indexes
• Read award descriptions and stipend information
• Find an award that fits single or multi-country
• Use an All Discipline award if no specific award
  matches your expertise
• Check Country Pages on CIES Web site
• Contact CIES program officer(s) for more
  information about awards and countries

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Multi-Country Opportunities

• Africa Regional Research Awards
• Middle East Middle East, North Africa, South
  Asia Regional Research Program
• Asia Northeast and Southeast Asia Regional
  Research Program
• Europe EU Affairs Research, Aegean Initiative,
  Austrian-Hungarian Award
• Western Hemisphere Argentina/Uruguay Award in
  Environmental Sciences, Argentina/Brazil/Uruguay
  Award in International Trade and Investment

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Making Contacts Abroad

• Most awards dont require a letter of invitation
  from an overseas institution, although some All
  Disciplines awards do
• Contact the international division of your
  professional organization
• Talk with international office on your campus

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• Use university search Web sites such as
• Braintrack - www.braintrack.com
• Petersons - www.petersons.com
• Use the online U.S. Scholar and Visiting Scholar
  directories for contact information of former
  grantees
• Ask the CIES program officer for names of
  institutions that have hosted scholars

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Submitting a Competitive Application

• Be sure your expertise matches award and your
  experience qualifies you for all award activities
• Follow instructions and format precisely
• Write a clear, focused project statement
• Focus on what you plan to DO--not your biography
• Write so that people outside your field can
  understand your project and why it is important

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• Get three strong, current reference letters
• One from your supervisor (crucial for a teaching
  report)
• One from someone not at your institution
• One from a colleague who knows your work well
• Consider how each part of application relates to
  the whole and supports your candidacy
• Meet all eligibility requirements and application
  deadline

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TIPS The Project Statement

• Vital part of a successful application package
• Must be persuasive
• Must explain
• What the applicant proposes to do
• How it will be done
• Why it is important to do it
• Why the applicant wants to do it

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Project Statement Lecturing Awards

• Describe
• What you propose to teach
• What related courses you have taught in the past
• How you will adapt the material and your teaching
  style to fit the different culture and setting
• Why you are suited to this award
• Why you want to teach in this particular country
  and why you want this experience

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• Draw attention to relevant expertise and
  experience
• Show evidence of flexibility and adaptability
• Organize carefully dont make reviewers search

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Project Statement Research Awards

• Describe
• What you will do
• How you propose to do the research
• Why this research is needed
• Why it must be done in this country
• How you will face the challenge of conducting
  research in a foreign language, if applicable

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• Address what will be contributed to both
  countries and to the discipline
• Demonstrate that the research strategy is
  feasible, including its time frame
• Consider the culture and politics of the host
  country
• Indicate a dissemination plan for your results

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TIPS For All Awards

• Do your homework research host country and
  institution and award particulars
• Limit discussion on project background use
  bibliography instead
• Know that collaborative projects are more
  compelling
• For Lecturing/Research awards, amount of
  attention in proposal to respective activities
  should match award description

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Review Process and Timetable

• Step 1 Program officers review applications for
  eligibility, completeness, etc. (August)
• Step 2 Specialist review committees read
  applications in the arts, hard sciences and
  professional fields, rating them highly
  recommend, recommend or do not recommend
  (September/October)
• Step 3 Specialist reports accompany
  applications, which are then screened by U.S.
  peer review committees. Committees represent many
  disciplines and focus on one world area. (October
  to December)

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• Step 4 Applicants receive notice of their
  status, either recommended or not recommended
  (November through January)
• Step 5 List of recommended candidates forwarded
  to host countries for selection and to the J.
  William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board,
  which has final approval. Applicants are
  notified as approvals are given (February through
  May)

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What Reviewers Look For

• Suitability for award (match)
• Teaching ability and record
• Publication and scholarly record in relation to
  career stage
• Applicants adaptability and cultural sensitivity
• Merits of proposal
• Innovative projects and methodology
• Feasibility
• Value to discipline, scholar, host country and
  institution
• Demonstrated need to be in country for project

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Grant Benefits

• Package includes stipend, in-country living
  allowance, travel for grantee
• Some countries travel for dependents, dependent
  schooling, research allowance, book allowance
• Stipends and benefits vary considerably from
  country to country
• Consult Awards Catalog or CIES Web site for
  details

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Internationalizing the Campus Host a Visiting
Fulbright Scholar

• Several ways for U.S. institutions to host
  Visiting Fulbright Scholars from abroad
• Scholar-in-Residence Program
• Visiting Scholar Program
• Occasional Lecturer Program
• Fulbright Visiting Specialists Direct Access to
• the Muslim World
• Understanding Contemporary Islam

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Central Florida Contacts

• Fulbright Alumni Association Mid-Florida
  Chapter
• http//www.fulbright.org/Florida/Mid
• Office of International Studies
• http//international.ucf.edu
• Match faculty to awards
• Assist with proposal process
• Review proposal and project statements before
  deadline
• Celebrate your success