The October 20th edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education announces that for 2006 Fairfield University has the largest number of Fulbright Scholarships in the country awarded to students at universities with master's degree programs. The Fulbright Grant is the most prestigious international scholarship awarded by the U.S. government.

Fairfield's graduating class received five Fulbrights, while the next highest in the country is the University of Portland with four. Among universities awarded three Fulbrights were the City University of New York Hunter College, Villanova University and Rochester Institute of Technology. Loyola Marymount University, Pacific University and the University of Scranton were each awarded two Fulbrights.

This is the second time in three years that Fairfield has been singled out for having the largest number of Fulbrights in its category. The five Fulbrights awarded this year bring to 39 the number of Fairfield University students who have been awarded Fulbrights since 1993.

Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., university president, said he was delighted that so many Fairfield students had pursued the Fulbright which takes college graduates to other countries and cultures. "These outstanding graduates are to be commended for their academic achievements and for reaching beyond their comfort zones. They bring honor to their university and the faculty on our Fulbright Committee who guided them."

Fairfield University's participation in the Fulbright program is in keeping with its strategic initiative to create a "living and learning" environment in which students learn to integrate what they learn in the classroom with their life outside the classroom.

Miriam Gogol, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, is coordinator of the Fulbright program at Fairfield. Initially, eight Fairfield University students were recommended by the Institute of International Education (IIE) National Screening Committee.

The Fairfield Fulbright recipients include:

Alexis Cedeno of Valley Stream, N.Y., who is affiliated with the University of the United Arab Emirates and working on immigration research in a country comprised of 85 percent migrants

Jessica Martin of Doylestown, Penn., who is studying the resurgence of civil society after years of suppression in China. She spent a semester abroad at The Beijing Center at the University of International Business and Economics in 2005.

Annie McKittrick of Greenwich, Conn., who is working with The Lester B. Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, a non-profit organization in Ottawa, Canada, that conducts education, training and research on all aspects of peace operations and works closely with the United Nations.

Vivian E. Rodriguez of West Orange, N.J., who is teaching English to elementary and secondary school students at the Triam Udonsuksa School of the North in the Phitsanulok Province of Thailand. At Fairfield she was a double major in Spanish and Communication.

Laura Woelflein of Nashua, N.H., who is an English teaching assistant within a migrant community in Germany. While a history major with a double minor in education and German, she studied abroad at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

Number of Fulbright Awards for 2006 at Universities and Colleges with Master's Degree Programs:

Fairfield University: 5
U. of Portland: 4
City U. of New York Hunter College: 3
Drake University: 3
Monterey Institute of Int'l Studies: 3
Rochester Institute of Technology: 3
Truman State University: 3
University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire: 3
Villanova University: 3
Ithaca College: 2
Loyola Marymount University: 2
Pacific University: 2
Rowan University: 2
University of Scranton: 2

Posted On: 10-20-2006 10:10 AM

Volume: 39 Number: 63