UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nine Penn State faculty members have received Fulbright Scholar grants for the 2019-20 awards cycle.

“The Fulbright experience gives participants an opportunity to have a significant impact on their host institutions and communities and to have solid research grounding as their career progresses,” said Rob Crane, interim vice provost for Global Programs at Penn State.

The Fulbright Scholar Program was established in 1946 by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright to promote mutual understanding between the United States and other countries. The program is sponsored by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, a unit within the U.S. Department of State. It is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Students, which is part of the Institute of International Education.

“These awards are transformative, as scholars are able to leverage the connections they make during the program for further professional development,” said Sylvester Osagie, faculty Fulbright adviser in Global Programs.

The following faculty have been named Fulbright grant recipients for the 2019-20 academic year:

• Lee Ann Banaszak, professor of political science, and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, College of the Liberal Arts (Host Country: Australia)
• Lara Fowler, senior lecturer, Penn State Law and the Institutes of Energy and the Environment (Host Country: Sweden)
• Russell Frank, associate professor of journalism, Bellisario College of Communications (Host Institutions: Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece)
• Enrique Del Castillo, distinguished professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering and professor of statistics (Host Country: Portugal)
• Carter Hunt, associate professor of recreation, park, and tourism management, College of Health and Human Development (Host Institution: Charles Darwin Foundation, Ecuador)
• Elizabeth Kadetsky, associate professor, creative writing, College of the Liberal Arts (Host Country: India)
• Cristin Millet, professor of art, School of Visual Arts, College of Arts and Architecture (Host Country: Australia)
• Elizabeth Ransom, associate professor, School of International Affairs (Global Scholar Award)
• Catherine Wanner, professor of history and anthropology, College of the Liberal Arts (Host Country: Ukraine)

Eight faculty members received Fulbright awards last year. The Fulbright program has produced notable alumni, including heads of state and governments, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, ambassadors, MacArthur Foundation fellows, and distinguished scholars in various disciplines.

Last year, the 70th anniversary of the Fulbright Program was celebrated in different countries around the globe. The Franco-American Fulbright Commission held a celebration hosted by Gérard Araud, the ambassador of France to the United States, last year at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. Penn Stater Denise Potosky, professor of management at Penn State Great Valley, represented the University at the celebration, marking Penn State's commitment to the program.

For more information, contact Sylvester Osagie, faculty Fulbright adviser in Global Programs, at 814-867-4276 or soo1@psu.edu; or Anne Stover at amc1@psu.edu.