For the fourth time in the college’s history and the fourth consecutive year, SUNY Geneseo has been named a Top Producer of U.S. Student Fulbright awards, the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced in its annual article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Eight Geneseo alumni won U.S. Student Fulbright awards for 2020–21, placing the College second among the over 740 Carnegie Classification master’s degree institutions, behind only the University of Portland. Geneseo has finished in the top three nationally in that classification for the past four years.
The eight winners for 2020–21 were Rachel Britton ’18 (Iceland); Anna Charny ’19 (Spain); Isabelle Cirulli ’19 (Colombia); Bizzy Coy ’06 (Ireland); Sean McAneny ’20 (Czech Republic); Rickie Nixon ’20 (Vietnam); Sean Welch ’19 (Taiwan); and Connor Widmaier ’20 (Germany). The program provides grants for individually designed study or research programs, or English-teaching-assistant programs, in many foreign countries.
For the 2017–18 Fulbright cycle, Geneseo was the first dedicated SUNY institution to be named a Top Producer of U.S. Student awards in any category—bachelor’s, master’s, research, or special-focus four-year institutions. This is the eleventh year that the U.S. Department of State has issued an annual list of Top Producer institutions in the Chronicle.
“Geneseo once again being recognized as one of the nation’s Top Producers of U.S. Student Fulbright awards speaks to the enduring power of the quality liberal arts education we offer at the College,” said Geneseo President Denise A. Battles. “The entire Geneseo community takes a great deal of pride in having so many of our bright and dedicated alumni chosen to represent our nation in countries around the world to study, teach, and serve as cultural ambassadors.”
Last year’s eight winners brought the college’s total to 41, with 27 awards coming in the past four years and 37 awards since 2010. Final award winners for 2021–22 cycle will be announced beginning in March.
“The success the College has enjoyed with the Fulbright program is a testament to the talents of our students and alumni and also to the dedication and mentoring of the many faculty members and staff who take part in the application process by guiding and mentoring our applicants, writing letters of support, and participating in the on-campus interviews,” said Geneseo Provost Stacey Robertson. “Our alumni emerge from their Geneseo experience ready to take their place among the leaders in the global community and understand well the responsibilities that being a world citizen entail: to give back through education, service, and scholarship.”
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program has provided more than 390,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential—with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. More than 1,900 U.S. students, artists, and young professionals in more than 100 different fields of study are offered Fulbright grants to study, teach English, and conduct research abroad each year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program operates in more than 140 countries throughout the world.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program was created by the U.S. Department of State, funded by an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. The Fulbright program also awards grants to U.S. scholars, teachers, and faculty to conduct research and teach overseas. In addition, some 4,000 foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the United States annually to study, lecture, conduct research, and teach foreign languages.
The U.S. Student Fulbright competition is open to students and recent alumni. It is administered at Geneseo by Director of National Fellowships and Scholarships Michael Mills, who can be reached at millsm@geneseo.edu and 585-245-6002. For more information about the Fulbright and other nationally and internationally competitive scholarship and fellowship programs, visit Fellowships and Scholarships.