The University of Notre Dame is among the top producers of Fulbright Program students for the eighth consecutive year, according to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which administers the Fulbright Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.
Among research institutions, the University finished second with 26 Fulbright recipients for the 2021-22 academic year, tied with Georgetown and Harvard and ahead of the universities of Pennsylvania and Chicago, as well as Columbia, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.
It finished second overall, as well, among all U.S. institutions.
Results were published online Monday (Feb. 28) in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
“We are again humbled and honored to be recognized as a top producer of Fulbright Scholars,” said Michael Pippenger, vice president and associate provost for internationalization at Notre Dame. “In our current time of global conflict and instability, our commitment to cultivating global scholars has never been more important. These ambassadors of Notre Dame are also fulfilling Sen. Fulbright’s vision of creating the next generation of public diplomats who will promote cross-cultural understanding and collaborative global leadership.”
Jeffrey Thibert is the Paul and Maureen Stefanick Director of the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) at Notre Dame, which promotes the intellectual development of undergraduate students through scholarly engagement, research, creative endeavors and the pursuit of fellowships, including the Fulbright and others.
“We’re delighted that the University of Notre Dame is appearing on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program List of top-producing institutions for the eighth consecutive year,” Thibert said. “On the undergraduate side, this unprecedented run has been made possible by the support of our excellent CUSE Fulbright advisers, the work of the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures to provide TESOL education and host Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants, the mentorship of the University’s outstanding faculty and the consistent emphasis the University places on the importance of an international education, especially through Notre Dame International. We plan to continue to prepare our students to act as effective educational and cultural ambassadors, and we plan to appear on the top producing list for many years to come.”
Kayla Hurd, Fulbright Program adviser in the Graduate School’s Office of Fellowships and Grants, said, “We are honored to be one of the top Fulbright producers for the eighth year in a row. But we could not hold this distinction without the due diligence, dedication and effort that our students bring to their applications. All of our students have shown great strength and commitment to fulfilling Fulbright’s vision in becoming the next catalysts for a peaceful, interconnected world inspired by international educational exchange.”
Established in 1964, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship educational exchange program, offering students the opportunity to study, teach or pursue research or other projects around the globe.
For more on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu (undergraduate students) or graduateschool.nd.edu/professional_development/research/ (graduate students).