The University ranks 21st nationally -- tied with five other schools -- among research institutions that produce Fulbright Scholars, according to a report by the Institute of International Education released in the Oct. 22 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Fourth-year students and graduate students may apply for Fulbright grants. Undergraduates may present their own proposal for a course of study or apply for a teaching assistantship in another country.
Nine University students out of 35 applicants were awarded Fulbright grants for the current academic year. The University's acceptance rate was 25 percent, ranking it 13th out of the top 25 research institutions, percentage-wise.
"It is my hope that these numbers will continue to increase," said Nicole Hurd, director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence. "Our yield [acceptance] rate is higher than other schools -- higher than the yield of schools in the top 10."
The Center for Undergraduate Excellence guides students through the application process at the University in conjunction with the Undergraduate Research Network.
Aspiring scholars are reviewed by three selection committees.
The first review is at the University where students are ranked on a scale of one to five, after which they face a national selection committee.
Finally, their intended host country must approve their application.
"We write recommendations for all the students," said Mark White, a Commerce School professor and 1992-3 Fulbright scholar, who chairs the University Selection Committee. "We do our absolute best to present candidates in the best possible light. We're honest. We're not superfluous or damning -- we're fair. That is partly why we have such a good record. The committee respects the recommendations that we write."
Students who are interested in applying for the Fulbright scholarships at the University have the opportunity to receive advice on assembling their applications from committee members.
Fourth-year College student Sara Page, who is applying for a scholarship, said she has received valuable assistance from retired French Prof. David Rubin, an author of the "Fulbright Experience."
"Professor Rubin makes himself very available and will go over essays and talk about their projects, talk about the politics surrounding the grants, and how to phrase it so it will be accepted by the host country," Page said.
Rubin noted that the benefits of the program extend to the scholar, their work and the host country.
"I think that naturally the experience opened people up to cultures other than their own and put them into context with intellectual workers like themselves in the host country," he said.
Next year the selection committee hopes to increase the number of students from business, engineering and the sciences, White said, adding that the committee receives a lot of applicants from the Tibetan studies, anthropology and history departments.
He said the committee plans to work with professors in other departments on an informal basis to increase recruitment in other departments.
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