College Named Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars, Students

The College of Charleston has been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars and Fulbright Students among master’s-level colleges and universities in the United States. The College is the only master’s-level school in the United States to be included as a top producer in both categories.

Four professors and three students from the College have been awarded Fulbright awards for the 2018-19 academic year.

“I am proud that the College of Charleston has been named a top producer of Fulbright students and Fulbright scholars,” says College of Charleston Interim President Stephen C. Osborne ’73. “We have some of the best and brightest students and faculty in the country and this recognition certainly affirms what we have always known at the College of Charleston – our campus community members are incredibly talented. Our ability to continually produce a record number of Fulbright students and Fulbright scholars is a direct reflection of the hard work of our students and faculty. Academic excellence is a core value of our university, and that is reflected in all that we do at the College of Charleston.”

The Fulbright Students are:

James Peyla ’18 is a marine biology major. Peyla is traveling to Australia to study the effects of ocean acidification on the Giant Australian Cuttlefish at Adelaide University.

Camila Bailey ’18 is a Spanish and communication double major. Bailey is traveling to rural Malaysia to teach English at the middle school level. Aside from teaching, she plans to start a writing class and a gardening club for students.

Nicki Meighan ’18 is a Spanish and international studies double major. Meighan is spending the year in Medellin, Colombia, teaching English at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

RELATED: Find out more about the studies of these three Fulbright students.

The Fulbright Scholars are:

Beth Sundstrom is an associate professor in Communication and public health program. Sundstrom studied at University College Cork and researched reproductive justice activism in Ireland.

Lisa Covert is an associate professor of History. Covert will study at Universidad de San Martn de Porres and research cultural patrimony policies in Mexico and Peru in the 1970s.

Isaure de Buron-Conners is a professor of biology. De Buron-Conners will study at Mohammed V University and will research the fish parasite fauna of Sebkhet Imlili in Morocco.

Brian Lanahan is an associate professor of teacher education. Lanahan will study at Tbilisi State University and will research the Rose Revolution, which refers to a change of power in the eastern European country of Georgia in 2003.

“Earning a Fulbright had been an aspirational goal since entering academia and the opportunities for growth as a Fulbright Scholar were remarkable,” says hospitality and tourism management Professor Steve Litvin, a 2008 Fulbright winner and a 2015 Fulbright ambassador. “I was invited to speak at numerous universities and was able to develop research collaborations that have been fruitful to this day. Being awarded the Fulbright was a wonderful award personally, but even more meaningful was the opportunity for me to proudly represent the College of Charleston and the City of Charleston as a Fulbright Scholar.”

According to Anton Vander Zee, who directs the College’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, there are currently 14 CofC students whose Fulbright applications have been elevated to the semi-final round. He said that there were a record number of applicants from the College this year – 33. Last year, no master’s granting institution in the U.S. had more than 30 applicants.

“These Fulbright awards say a lot about the determination and caliber of students at the College,” said Vander Zee. “The continued success of our students in the Fulbright competition is a sign that they are well prepared to compete and succeed on a national, even international, stage. Perhaps more important than the prestige factor that earning a Fulbright affords is the fact that these awards lead to life-changing, immersive international experiences that former recipients often view as a formative turning point in their lives.”

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program are programs of the U.S. Department of State, funded by an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and supported in their implementation by the Institute of International Education.