Eleanor Welsh, Professor of English, has been appointed to serve as the Fulbright Scholar Liaison at Chesapeake College. As a Fulbright Scholar Liaison, Eleanor will join a network of approximately 2,000 individuals across the United States who play a crucial role in the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Scholar Program in the U.S. higher education community.

Fulbright Scholar Liaisons promote the Fulbright Scholar Program on their campus, by informing faculty and administrators about Fulbright Scholar opportunities, encouraging candidates to apply, recognizing Fulbright alumni when they return, and supporting the development of institutional policies that are conducive to sending or hosting Fulbright scholars.

College and university participation in the Fulbright Scholar Liaison network supports campus internationalization efforts, helps raise awareness of the value of educational exchange, and provides awards for faculty to research and teach internationally.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has awarded more than 380,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbrighters address critical global issues in all disciplines, while forging lasting connections, and building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 59 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 82 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

For more information on the Fulbright Scholar Liaison network, please visit http://www.cies.org/liaison or contact the Fulbright Scholar Program at [email protected]. For general information about the Fulbright Program, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail [email protected].