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Intellect

BYU ranked No. 3 in the nation for producing most U.S. Fulbright Scholars

“Mind-expanding and culturally enriching” experience allows BYU professors to study, teach overseas

BYU professor sports a BYU hat on Easter Island.
BYU professor Ed Carter visited Easter Island during his Fulbright experience in Chile last fall.
Photo by Jeff Sheets

Last fall, BYU journalism professor Ed Carter spent the semester in Chile, traveling from Punta Arenas to San Pedro de Atacama to interview people about news consumption. He taught a capstone journalism class to 50 Chilean students and was invited by the U.S. Embassy to present alongside the U.S. Ambassador on the topic of combating misinformation.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Carter was able to fully immerse himself in the Chilean academic and cultural world for a semester, fortifying research collaborations among fellow Fulbright Scholars one day and playing basketball in the parks with immigrants from around the world the next day (some of which thought he looked enough like Steve Kerr to call him that).

“The experience was incredible — I can’t say enough good things about the Fulbright experience,” said Carter, who has now done three Fulbrights. “They have all been among the most mind-expanding, culturally enriching and enjoyable experiences of my career.

Carter is one of nine BYU faculty members to be named a Fulbright Scholar during the 2022-2023 academic year. Today the U.S. State Department recognized BYU as a Top Producing Institution for U.S. Fulbright Scholars — a prestigious recognition for a handful of U.S. universities with the most individuals selected for the Fulbright Scholar Program. BYU’s nine Fulbright Scholars rank the institution No. 3 among doctoral research institutions, above schools like Harvard, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

In addition to BYU’s nine Fulbright Scholars, BYU had one masters student, Isabella Errigo, named a Fulbright Student Scholar. Here is the list of BYU’s faculty honorees for 2022-2023, including their field of study and international destination:

  • Scott Bartholomew, Engineering, Phillipines
    Fulbright Scholar badge
  • Edward Carter, Communications, Chile
  • Brian Hill, Experience Design, Austria
  • Jonathan Hill, Cell Biology, Brazil
  • Eric Jellen, Agriculture, Argentina
  • Brian Roberts, Literature, Indonesia
  • Kurt Sandholtz, Business, Spain
  • Staci Smith, Communications, Slovenia
  • Michael Taylor, Area Studies, Austria

BYU’s nine Fulbright Scholars are the most BYU has ever produced in one academic year. The next highest years for BYU Fulbright Scholars were in the 2018-2019 and the 1991-1992 academic years, when BYU produced seven Fulbright Scholars in each of those cycles. BYU has also produced six scholars in multiple years.

“We are grateful for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program and the wonderful experiences it provides for our faculty,” said Academic Vice President Shane Reese. “These international experiences help them better serve our students and campus community by making a positive impact on their teaching, expanding perspectives and networks for their scholarly work and providing opportunities for service throughout the world.”

Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, giving Fulbright Scholars the opportunity to study and teach at a university of their choice overseas for up to one year. Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 participants from all backgrounds and fields — including recent university graduates, teachers, scientists, researchers, artists, and others, from the United States and over 160 countries —have participated in the program.

Fulbright alumni have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows and countless leaders and change-makers who carry forward the Fulbright mission of enhancing mutual understanding.

Read more about the Fulbright Scholar program and peruse the rankings in the Chronicle of Higher Ed story published today: https://www.chronicle.com/article/top-producers-of-fulbright-u-s-scholars-and-students-2022-23.

BYU's Office of Research Development provides resources to faculty interested in the Fulbright Program. More information: https://researchdevelopment.byu.edu/fulbright-program.

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