Rutgers Students and Alumni Receive 14 Fulbright Grants

University ranks among top producers of Fulbright scholarship winners at research institutions nationwide

Rutgers students and alumni received 14 Fulbright grants this year, putting the university on the list of top producers among research institutions across the nation.

The highly competitive awards, administered by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, offer students and young professionals the opportunity to pursue graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and primary and secondary school teaching in more than 140 countries worldwide.

“I am immensely proud that for nearly a decade, Rutgers University-New Brunswick has been a top producer of Fulbright students in the country,” said Rutgers University-New Brunswick Chancellor Richard L. Edwards. “The recognition by the Fulbright program is evidence of our students’ excellence, specifically in how they are able to fulfil the program’s mission of building international partnerships throughout the world.”

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is sponsored by the Department of State and awards approximately 1,500 grants to U.S. students every year. 

While most applying for grants are seniors about to graduate, alumni and graduate students are eligible as well. Program participants are chosen based on many factors, including leadership potential and academic merit. The grants include financial support for round-trip transportation to the host country and funding to cover room, board and incidental costs.  

Of the 14 Rutgers students and alumni who earned the award this year, three are using their Fulbright grants to conduct research and 11 are engaged in English-teaching assistantships.

Moyagaye Bedward, a doctoral student in history in the Graduate School-New Brunswick, applied for a Fulbright to fund her dissertation research in Morocco, where she has been since the fall. “My dissertation enters into the debate about the development of race in Morocco, by analyzing the role that former slave communities played in the national liberation movement,” said Bedward, who plans to the stay in the country through December 2017 conducting archival research and oral history interviews in most of the major cities.

“Any year Rutgers is ranked nationally among the top producers of Fulbright student grants is an excellent one,” said Arthur D. Casciato, director of the Office of Distinguished Fellowships at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “That this is the eighth consecutive such year testifies to the abilities of Rutgers students as well as the quality of a Rutgers education.”

Listed below are the 2016-17 Fulbright students and where they will study or teach:

Raul Aquilar, Germany
Moyagaye Bedward, Morocco
Jacob Compton, Germany
Mary Conlon, Colombia
Tom Conte, Mongolia
Gabriel Cummings, Argentina
Patty Gea, Spain
Kristin Licciardello, Morocco
Krupa Patel, Indonesia
Tess Rosenberg, Malaysia
Shaheena Shadid, Brazil
Michelle Shin, South Korea
Dustin Stalnaker, Germany
Jeremy Yeaton, Bulgaria

For media inquiries, contact Carla Cantor at 848-932-0555 or ccantor@ucm.rutgers.edu.