UF moves up to second place in top producer ranking of Fulbright US scholars

The University of Florida ranks second on a list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the largest number of 2023-2024 Fulbright U.S. Scholars, up from fourth last year and seventh just two years ago. 

Eleven UF scholars were named, placing UF on the list of Fulbright Top Producing Institutions as one of the colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The purpose of the Fulbright program is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of more than 150 countries that participate in the program. It aims to establish open communication and cooperative relationships by enriching Americans’ understanding of the educational, political, economic, social, and cultural realities of countries around the world. 

UF’s 2023-2024 U.S. Fulbright Scholar awardees, their respective fields, and the country in which they will carry out their Fulbright duties are:

• Steven Brandt, Anthropology, Ethiopia 
• Bin Gao, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Brazil 
• Shiva Gautam, Public Health, Nepal 
• Daniel Fernandez Guevara, History, Spain 
• Aida Hozic, Political Science, United Kingdom 
• Robert McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, South Africa 
• Kevin McDaniel, Archaeology, Brazil 
• Oren Okhovat, History, Spain 
• Ido Oren, International Relations, Austria 
• Remy Pages, Early Childhood Studies, Rwanda 
• Huiping Yang, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Spain 

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations worldwide also provide direct and indirect support to the program. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.

“Whether we are feeding the world, confronting climate change, predicting the impacts of AI, or protecting people from the next pandemic, the Fulbright mission of promoting international cooperation and exchange is more relevant than ever and the UF International Center is committed to support faculty interested in exploring international possibilities through the Fulbright program,” said Marta L. Wayne, Dean of the International Center and Associate Provost.

At UF, the Faculty Fulbright Support Program, sponsored by the Office of the Provost, makes these opportunities more accessible to faculty by allowing them to receive full UF benefits and salary in addition to Fulbright funding during their grant. For details of the Faculty Fulbright Support Program visit http://aa.ufl.edu/awards/faculty-fulbright-support/.

In addition, the International Center hosts Fulbright Awareness Month, this year happening from March 7-31, 2024. In collaboration with the UF Fulbright Lectures Committee, multiple information sessions for scholars, faculty, and staff will provide opportunities to learn about Fulbright, the application process, and to hear about the experiences of past Fulbright scholars and students.  
  
Fulbright is active in more than 160 countries worldwide, and partners with participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and the United States. Many of these organizations also provide direct and indirect support. ECA sponsors the Fulbright program, and several non-profit, cooperative partners implement and support the program on the Bureau’s behalf. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright. 

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is supported at UF through UFIC‘s Office for Global Research and Engagement and Claire Anumba. For more information visit https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/faculty-engagement/fulbright-scholar-program.