Baylor Graduates, Current Seniors Selected to Receive Prestigious Fulbright Scholarships
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WACO, Texas (May 3, 2013) - Two Baylor University graduates and two current Baylor seniors have been selected to receive the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship - the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.
The latest Fulbright recipients bring the number of Baylor students and/or graduates who have received the prestigious honor since 2001 to 36.
The Fulbright Program, which is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, selects participants based on their academic merit and leadership potential. Through the program, students are provided opportunities for one academic year to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The Fulbright Program also includes an English Teaching Assistants (ETA) component that places recent college graduates and young professionals as English teaching assistants in primary and secondary schools or universities overseas, improving foreign students' English language abilities and knowledge of the United States while increasing the U.S. student's own language skills and knowledge of the host country.
The Baylor recipients are:
Leigh Ann Ganzar, BS '11 in biology and a master's candidate in community health education from Littleton, Colo., who was selected for the English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to Brazil. (Read a Q&A with Leigh Ann.)
Randall Fowler, BA '12 in religion and communication from Abilene, Texas, who was selected for the English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to Jordan. (Read a Q&A with Randall.)
Taylor P. Kohn, a senior University Scholar from Wichita, Kan., who will pursue a masters of philosophy in instrumentation at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. (Read a Q&A with Taylor.)
Brent Salter, a senior international studies and journalism major from Bulverde, Texas, who was selected for the English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to Moldova. (Read a Q&A with Brent.)
"All of us -- faculty, staff, and administrators -- jubilate when we hear that our students have been selected to be Fulbright Scholars," said Elizabeth Vardaman, associate dean for special programs in Baylor's College of Arts and Sciences and the university's Fulbright representative. "We know how hard they worked on their applications, how well they maximized their education at Baylor, and how fully their mentors invest themselves in helping these young scholars articulate their dreams. Even though these students will face vastly different challenges in Moldova, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Jordan, they are fully prepared to do so and will represent their families and their alma mater throughout their time abroad as extraordinary ambassadors and world citizens."
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program currently awards approximately 1,700 grants annually in all fields of study and operates in more than 155 countries.
The Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas and is sponsored by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
For more information about national and international scholarship opportunities available through Baylor, visit the Office of National and International Scholarships.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.