Amideast was newly awarded the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq and the Fulbright Junior Faculty Development Program for Egypt and Lebanon. The programs brought faculty from different disciplines to study, research and exchange — spending 10 weeks at the following eight U.S. institutions:
- Ball State University — Economic Development and Entrepreneurship
- North Carolina State University — TEFL/Linguistics
- Ohio University — Public Health
- University of Arkansas — TEFL/Linguistics
- University of Central Oklahoma — Science and Technology
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County — TEFL/Linguistics
- University of Texas at Austin — Renewable Energy and Engineering
- University of Wyoming — Engineering
As hosts, these universities committed to shared Fulbright values in their implementation, making cultural engagement a priority. As Gavin Nelson, a coordinator of special programs and teacher training at the University of Arkansas, notes: “We are honored to host the visiting Iraqi scholars. Fulbright programs are near and dear to our hearts at the University of Arkansas, the home of J. William Fulbright. This program provides an opportunity to further the Fulbright mission of peace through education.”
In addition to technical training, the participants engaged in structured mentorships and connect with their U.S. faculty counterparts. New partnerships will ensue and encourage the development of sustainable linkages between the junior faculty and their academic counterparts in the United States.
Preparing for 2020
Amideast will offer the programs again in summer of 2020. The new application cycle for U.S. institutions seeking to host junior faculty opened in August 2019. The deadline for all proposal submissions is October 15, 2019. Interested institutions and applicants can find details on the Fulbright Junior Faculty Development Program (JFDP) website.
These programs build on Amideast’s partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s flagship exchange program that endures since 1970, when Amideast assumed a managing role in the Fulbright Foreign Student program for the Middle East and North Africa — a program that has enabled Fulbright grantees from 17 MENA countries to pursue graduate studies and research in the United States.
