This week the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) named Fayetteville State University among 19 institutions of higher education that were chosen as Fulbright Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Institutional Leaders for 2022.

Over the last 75 years, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research in the United States or in one of over 160 partner countries worldwide. Fulbright students and scholars are from or hosted by more than 800 colleges and universities across the United States, and thousands more campuses in over 160 countries. Fulbrighters come from all backgrounds and are selected through an open, merit-based competition, regardless of their race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. 

The HBCU Institutional Leader status that Fayetteville State University has been recognized with, recognizes engagement across the Fulbright Program, including hosting Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants, Scholars-in-Residence, and other Fulbright Students or Scholars as well as having U.S. students, faculty and staff receive Fulbrights to study, teach or conduct research abroad.

This year, Fayetteville State University’s very own Dr. Afua Arhin received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in Nursing for the 2022-2023 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Dr. Arhin will be working on research around infant nutrition in developing countries. Besides her Fulbright in Nursing research, Dr. Arhin has had a tremendous impact on the success and rejuvenation of Fayetteville’s Nursing program.

Fayetteville State University has also done outstanding work in hosting Fulbrighters. For example, Dr. Chaynie Williams, an Emergency Physician Specialist and Medical Services Clinical Director at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, was a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Fayetteville where she conducted lectures and research on health care systems and ethical issues in healthcare.

“The FSU community is delighted and honored to host Dr. Williams. Her wealth of knowledge in healthcare administration and clinical settings deepens our academic profile, offering an expanded worldview inclusive of global practices and instruction greatly benefitting our students and community partners,” Monica T. Leach, Fayetteville’s Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, stated about Dr. Williams.

Lee Ann Salandy-Gill, also from Barbados, did a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Fayetteville. She serves as an Accreditation Support Specialist/Health Planner at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados and for her Fulbright, she conducted lectures and research in Fayetteville’s Health Department.

Fayetteville has also succeeded in having its own faculty go abroad through Fulbright. Professor of Public Administration at Fayetteville, Dr. Maurice Mongkuo, was a US Fulbright Specialist to Russia in 2019. In Russia, he held undergrad lectures, organized workshops on American public administration, and advised faculty on the criteria for creating peer reviewed scientific articles.

The university has also hosted Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTA) from abroad on their campus. In 2020 FLTA Ko Hui, from Taiwan taught Mandarin at Fayetteville State University.

ECA established the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders Initiative to recognize and commend the strong partnership between the Fulbright Program and HBCUs and to encourage all HBCUs to increase their engagement with Fulbright to help their students, faculty and staff to study, teach or conduct research abroad and access valuable international experiences and perspectives.

The announcement of the 19 Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders was made by the State Department as HBCU leaders prepare to gather in Washington, DC and virtually for the White House Initiative on HBCUs National HBCU Week Conference, and Fulbright opportunities will be highlighted in events such as the HBCU career and recruitment fair.

“HBCUs are an important part of the American and global higher education communities, providing life-changing exchange opportunities for American and international students, faculty, and administrators alike,” Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield stated.

On November 3, a Fulbright HBCU Virtual Workshop will feature best practices for HBCUs to leverage Fulbright Program engagement to support students and faculty, increase campus internationalization, and build global networks. This event is designed for HBCU faculty and staff, but is open to all.

We at Watch The Yard would like to congratulate all 19 of the HBCUs chosen as this years Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders. This is truly an achievement to be proud of.

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