Georgia Southern student awarded Fulbright Grant

May 9, 2007

The University Honors Program is proud to announce that Georgia Southern University student Nicole Harper has been awarded a U.S. Student Fulbright Grant to study in Slovenia for 2007-2008. Harper is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum, Foundations and Reading in the College of Education.

Harper’s research project, ‘Cultural Arts, Intercultural Immersion and Learning Perceptions,” will explore the role of art in the intercultural immersion process and will involve case studies of expatriate educators during their immersion into Slovenian culture. In Slovenia, Harper will work with the Center for Language and Cultural Communication at the University of Primorska and the American Corner in Koper, a partnership between the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana and the University of Primorska.

Harper holds a Master of Arts degree from Michigan State University in Curriculum and Teaching and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art from Eastern Michigan University. Prior to attending Georgia Southern University, Harper taught art at the Abu Dhabi International School in the United Arab Emirates and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana.

The U.S. Student Fulbright Program, established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries,” operates in more than 150 countries worldwide and grants are available in all fields of study.

‘Nicole put in a great deal of effort on this application and we are confident she will be an excellent ambassador in Slovenia for the United States and Georgia Southern University,” said Steven Engel, director of the University Honors Program and Associate Professor of Political Science. We have a great team of people at Georgia Southern who have helped prepare her for this stage of her education and they deserve congratulations as well.”

In addition to the Honors Program faculty and staff, other faculty and staff involved in helping Harper earn the Fulbright Grant included Ron Jones, international recruitment manager in the Office of Admissions; and Abebayehu Tekleselassie, assistant professor of education. Others who assisted include her doctoral dissertation committee: Delores Liston, professor of curriculum, foundations, and reading; Ming Fang He, associate professor of curriculum, foundations and reading; Saundra Nettles, dean of the College of Graduate Studies; and Julie McGuire, associate professor of art.

‘The University Honors Program is committed to providing support for all Georgia Southern University students who wish to apply for nationally competitive awards such as the U.S. Student Fulbright grant,” said Bob Frigo, assistant director, University Honors Program.
‘These opportunities have tremendous potential to open up new worlds for our students and, on a broader scale, foster international relationships and advance global understanding. Nicole’s accomplishment is symbolic of Georgia Southern University’s mission to prepare our students to serve as world citizens.”

The U.S. Student Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State through the Institute of International Education. The Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. The Program promotes cross-cultural interaction and mutual understanding through engagement in the community and on a person-to-person basis in an atmosphere of academic integrity and intellectual freedom.