APPROACHES TO APPLY FOR A
FULBRIGHT GRANT
Michael Givel, Associate Professor of
Political Science, University of Oklahoma
For: University of Oklahoma, Fulbright
Information Session, June 10, 2011
Purpose of Fulbright Program
• Fulbright flagship international educational exchange program sponsored
by U.S. government
– Designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the
United States and the people of other countries”
– Opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and
contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns
• Fulbright Program established in 1946 under legislation introduced by
Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas
• Fulbright Program sponsored by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs
• Approximately 294,000 “Fulbrighters,” 111,000 from the United States
and 183,000 from other countries have participated in Program
• Fulbright Program awards approximately 7,500 new grants annually
• Currently, Fulbright Program operates in over 155 countries
Types of U.S. Fulbright Programs
•
Core Fulbright Scholar Program
•
Fulbright Specialist Program
– Designed to provide short-term academic opportunities (two to six weeks) for U.S. faculty
and professionals.
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Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Program
– Senior scholars with significant publication and teaching record
•
Fulbright International Education Administrators Program
– Seminars designed to introduce participants to the society, culture and higher education
systems in Germany, India, Japan or Korea
•
Fulbright German Studies Seminars
•
Fulbright NEXUS Regional Scholar Program
– Brings together network of junior scholars, professionals and mid-career applied researchers
from US and other Western Hemisphere nations for seminar meetings
University of Oklahoma
Internal Application Review Timeline
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June 10th -- Information session
July 1st -- Project statements due to reviewers
July 11th -- Reviewer feedback due
July 11th-- 22nd -- Additional assistance with
development of formal proposals
• August 1st -- Most proposals due to Fulbright
U.S. Scholar’s Program
BEST PRACTICES AND TIPS WHEN
APPLYING FOR A FULBRIGHT AWARD
Basic Tips
• Be sure to meet eligibility requirements and application deadline
•
Read instructions carefully
• Determine why you want to go to particular country and what you
propose to do before you begin the application
•
Conduct careful analysis of country’s social, religious, cultural and
political conditions
Basic Tips
• Projects that collaborate with host institution are
often (but not always) more compelling
• Application should be integrated as a whole
• Proofread your application
• Have colleagues and peers critique your application
• Comply exactly with requirements, information,
materials requested in application
References and Teaching Reports
• Number and type of references vary by award type:
– For Research Awards, requirement is three reference letters
– For Lecturing or Lecturing and Research Awards requirement is
one teaching report and two reference letters
• Applicant responsible that recommendation letters
submitted to Fulbright by deadline
• Send copy of application to your references
• Referees should submit their letters online
References and Teaching Reports
• Do not exceed indicated number of references
• All references must be in English
• References should be from referees able to
evaluate your teaching effectiveness; research
abilities; ability to adapt; and merits of project
• At least one letter should be from colleague
outside your home institution
References and Teaching Reports
• Departmental chair, dean, or other
appropriate individual should complete the
teaching report
• If you recently arrived at University of
Oklahoma, one reference letter should be
from prior institution
• If Ph.D. is recent or you are early in career,
one reference should be from supervisor of
your graduate program
Developing Contacts Abroad
• Some countries require and others recommend
letters of invitation
• If you do not have contacts in country of
interest, following should be pursued:
• University of Oklahoma International Office
• Appropriate international students and faculty, as well as
area studies faculty
• Colleagues who have gone abroad
• Current and former Fulbright Scholars
• CIES program officers
Developing Contacts Abroad
• You should also research country and its
educational system
• Some university Web sites are:
– Library of Congress’s Portals to the World site:
www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html
– Braintrack: www.braintrack.com
• Education index of over 8300 links to higher education
institutions in 194 countries
Language Proficiency Report
• Applicants for awards that require knowledge of
foreign language must submit Language Proficiency
Report
• Report is optional for all other awards
• Consult awards catalogue for specific requirements
• Questions? Contact appropriate CIES program officer
• Complete Part I of report online
• Appropriate foreign language instructor submits an
evaluation (Part II) through online reference system
The Project Statement
• Project statement should be three to five pages, single
spaced, in 12-point or larger font size
• Use headers and/or bullets if helpful in organizing and
conveying key elements of project statement
• In project statement you should clearly explain:
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What you propose to do
Your methods, including hypothesis, aim, and timeline
Significance and background of your project
What benefits it will produce hosts, discipline, and applicant’s
home institution
The Project Statement
• Previous Fulbright grantees should also
address:
– What accomplishments and contributions
resulted from your earlier grant(s)
– How a second grant will build on your previous
Fulbright experience
– What you will accomplish with second grant
Project Statements for Teaching
Awards Also Describe
• Why this country
• What experiences indicate collegiality, adaptability,
cultural sensitivity, ability to serve as cultural ambassador
• Preparation to teach courses abroad
• What do you propose to teach
• How you adapt materials to culture and language of host
country
• How will you adapt to teaching environment in which first
language for students may not be English
• What impact do you expect on your teaching and/or
professional work and how do you expect to use
experience upon return
Project Statements for Research
Awards Also Describe
• What you will do – state clearly objectives and methodology
• If research is quantitative or qualitative in nature
• What is academic and professional context of project
– Include bibliography (not exceeding 3 pages) referring to leading
works by others and current state of field
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What teaching and professional experience prepared you for this
work
What significance does your research hold for discipline,
development, host country
Why it must be done in this country
How local political or cultural issues may impact your work
How results will be disseminated
Curriculum Vitae or Resume
• All applicants must include tailored curriculum vitae
or resume with detailed publications list
• For Fulbright Scholar grants, maximum length of C.V.
is 6 pages
• Maximum length of C.V. for Distinguished Chairs
Program is 8 pages
• Cite publications fully, listing them chronologically
from most recent
• Separate refereed from un-refereed publications
• Include an employment history
Course Syllabi and Outlines
• Two or three course syllabi or sample course
outlines
• Syllabi should indicate philosophy of
teaching
• Indicate when used or have they been
developed for your application
• Syllabi and reading lists should be no more
than total of 10 pages
Materials for Applicants in Arts,
Architecture, Writing and Journalism
• Format all images, pictures and graphics into
JPEG or BPM files
– No more than 10 images
– No more than 1 GB of information total
• Format all movie and video clips into MOV, AVI
or MPEG files
– No more than 1 GB of information total
• Format all sound and music clips into MP3 files
– No more than 1 GB of information total
• Format all writing samples into DOC files
– No more than 1 GB of information total
Questions????