Georgia Southern University Faculty Member Awarded Fulbright Grant

April 27, 2009

A Georgia Southern University faculty member who specializes in training teachers how to educate children about economics has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright grant to take those same lessons to school teachers in Mexico.

Greg Brock, Ph.D. of the University’s College of Business Administration’s School of Economic Development, was awarded the Fulbright Specialists grant in Economics at the Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico. Brock will leave for Mexico next month, where he will spend three weeks working with college professors and teachers to bring age appropriate economic education to children in kindergarten through twelfth grade, in addition to other duties.

‘Many educators in Mexico are starting to see the importance of teaching even young children basic economic principals. There is evidence that if you teach children economics when they’re young, they will become better savers. And, it has an impact on their life across the board. They become better voters and they are better at time management when they have a solid foundation in economics,” said Brock.

Brock believes the teaching tools used in Georgia classrooms will work well in Mexico.

‘For decades, Georgia Southern has had a center to help teachers better teach economics. I plan to meet with teachers in Mexico and tell them about the methods we use in Bulloch County and in the state of Georgia that we feel are very effective,” said Brock.

While in Mexico, Brock will also teach a short course in economics at the Universidad Veracruzana. Georgia Southern University and the Universidad Veracruzana have a long relationship of partnering in international education, including being part of a North American Mobility grant at Georgia Southern’s Center for International Studies. The Mobility grant enabled Dr. Brock to do an initial short visit to Xalapa in 2007 that was then leveraged in to the Fulbright award. Brock hopes his 2007 and 2009 visits will grow the exchange program between the two universities and lead to further grants.

‘Georgia Southern offers a new Masters of Applied Economics degree that students in Mexico could take advantage of even if they chose not to come to the United States to study. Eventually, we would like to see more of Universidad Veracruzana’s faculty traveling to Georgia Southern to give our faculty even more international experience,” said Brock.

The Fulbright Specialists Program provides short-term academic opportunities (two to six weeks) for U.S.-based University faculty and professionals. To be selected, a candidate must first apply and is then selected after a comprehensive peer review of the application and qualifications.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 116 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students.Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.