Interim Dean and Accounting Professor Kush Jenkins has been awarded the 2021-2022 Fulbright teaching scholarship and will spend the spring semester of 2022 teaching accounting and entrepreneurship to students at COSTAATT (The College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago). Jenkins worked hard to make this dream come true, and he is excited to represent NOVA in the Caribbean. Having embarked on his journey on Feb. 24. Jenkins is extremely excited for this opportunity, as he had applied six times before he landed the prestigious award. Jenkins is one of many NOVA community members who has propelled the institution to become a top producer of Fulbright scholars. 

According to his award letter, his grant is a reflection of his leadership and contributions to society. “I want to give a shoutout to all the past Fulbright recipients,” said Jenkins. “I feel like Kobe Bryant, I didn’t start the championships, there were people before me who paved the way. I want to make sure they get their flowers.”

Jenkins began teaching at NOVA in August 2011. He says that teaching at the college level, and particularly at the community college level, was a long-held dream for him.

“When I was in high school in spring 1994, my friends and I discussed what we wanted to do after college. All of us agreed that we wanted to teach higher education. One of my friends wanted to teach at William & Mary, another at UVA and another at VCU. When I was asked, I said I wanted to teach at community college. ‘You guys will be at the UVAs and VCUs of the world, but some of our friends will be sending their kids to community college,’ I said. ‘They need one of us to teach their kids also. And I want to be the one to teach them.’ Here I am, 27 years later, and I am living the dream.”

When asked why he proposed in his Fulbright application to teach at COSTAATT, he said, “I went to COSTAATT in 2019 to interview potential institutions to partner with, and I was really impressed with the college and the leadership. I wanted to be a part of their success; hopefully bringing value to their offerings and bringing some of their best practices back to NOVA. I will implement a two-pronged approach, first creating a comprehensive pedagogy that builds on the “entrepreneurial mindset” concept already being advanced at COSTAATT; and second, developing programs that will enhance the current mission of the school beyond the classroom.”

Professor Jenkins received his B.S. degree in political science from Tuskegee University and obtained his M.B.A. and Graduate Certificate in accounting from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is currently working on his Doctor of Business Administration at his alma mater Indiana Wesleyan University.

Prof. Jenkins has been a guest on several radio talk shows to discuss business and the economy. He is the author of “The Accounting Workbook,” a guide to help students learn how to do financial accounting. And he is currently working on a second edition of “The Accounting Workbook,” along with another book taking a historical look at business. He also participates in George Mason University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute teaching “The Economics of the Civil Rights Movement.” He has a newfound passion for the farmers of America and is working with his family in Buckingham County, Va. 

Professor Jenkins’ passion outside the classroom is in uplifting his community through several of the nonprofit organizations he is part of, including The Friends of the Cascades Library, an organization created to support the local community library in Sterling, Va. and The Amore Foundation, which he founded to give birthday cakes and bookbags to disadvantaged youth in the Northern Virginia community. Kush also works to help HBCUs and students attending HBCUs.

Jenkins lives with his wife of 18 years, Nichole (Clency) Jenkins and their two children Zion Amor and Raamah Khan Jenkins. He and his wife are also proud Navy parents of the 2020 Sailor of the Year, Dominique Raekwon Jenkins. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing and enriching the community.  

The Fulbright program was established in September 1945 and marks its 75th anniversary this year. It was established by Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright to promote international goodwill through the exchange of students in the field of education culture and science. Grants are funded by the United States Congress and contributions from partner countries and private parties.

Two years after the student exchange was established CIES (the Comparative and International Education Society) was founded as an exchange program for scholars and university administrators. As is the Fulbright scholarship program, it is administered under the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

For more on applying for a Fulbright grant to teach or study abroad, contact Leeza Fernand, director, Office of International Education & Sponsored Programs at lfernand@nvcc.edu.