February 28, 2022 — Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is proud to be one of the U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2021-2022 Fulbright U.S. Scholars. Each year, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program. The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the list annually.
Since 1986, NOVA faculty and staff members have applied for this competitive and prestigious award and a total of 28 recipients have been selected–the highest number for any community college. NOVA has made the list of top-producing institutions for Fulbright scholars six times since 2009. Kush Jenkins, associate professor of accounting at NOVA’s Loudoun Campus will represent the institution in the 2021-2022 Fulbright cohort.
“We congratulate the colleges and universities we are honoring as 2021-2022 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions and are especially delighted to celebrate the institutions that are being recognized as Fulbright Top Producers for the first time. These institutions reflect the geographic and institutional diversity of higher education in the United States, and include Minority-Serving Institutions,” said Ethan Rosenzweig, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. “We thank the leadership of these institutions for supporting their faculty and administrators who pursue Fulbright awards. In return, these institutions benefit from new, global perspectives and new international collaborations, which can positively impact local and global communities. Fulbright U.S. Scholars expand the scope and reach of their research, expand networks and further development of sectors which work to address local and global challenges.”
“NOVA is so proud of our past and present Fulbright scholars and honored to be recognized nationally with our impressive institutional peers. The Fulbright program provides an opportunity for our faculty to broaden their horizons and enrich their students’ experience here at home,” said Anne M. Kress, president of NOVA. “NOVA is committed to providing a global education to our students, building an academic culture of inclusive excellence that prepares our graduates for a globally competitive world.”
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is supported at NOVA through the College’s Office of International Education and Sponsored Programs. For any questions or further programming information, please contact Leeza Fernand, associate director, at lfernand@nvcc.edu.
The Fulbright Program was established over 75 years ago to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Since its inception in 1946, over 400,000 people from all backgrounds—recent university graduates, teachers, scientists and researchers, artists and more—have participated in the Fulbright Program and returned to their home countries with an expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country and its people and a new network of colleagues and friends.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors and the world and have included 40 heads of state or government, 61 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 76 MacArthur Fellows and countless leaders and changemakers who carry forward the Fulbright mission of enhancing mutual understanding.
Fulbright is active in more than 160 countries worldwide and partners with participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States. Many of these organizations also provide direct and indirect support. ECA sponsors the Fulbright program, and several non-profit, cooperative partners implement and support the program on the Bureau’s behalf. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright.