Increasing Your Institution's Number of Fulbright U.S. Scholars

Janis Boettinger, Vice Provost
Shelly Ortiz, Program Director, Office of Global Engagement
Fulbright Scholar Liaisons at Utah State University

Utah State University has a culture of performing high-quality research. Our faculty conduct prominent research in many different disciplines, influencing their students to have the same drive. Fulbright Scholars foster innovation and growth by spreading their knowledge globally and receiving vital research experience while immersed in new cultures. These fresh perspectives help scholars gain new insights to propel their research forward. 

As we celebrate the 2017-2018 academic year as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars, we are cognizant of the importance of strategy and outreach to continue the momentum. Moving forward, we are leveraging the success of our 2017-18 seven Fulbright U.S. Scholars. These scholars come from multiple colleges, departments, and campuses, and represent the widespread success and support of research at Utah State University. We have developed a five-step strategy for encouraging Fulbright participation, specifically Fulbright Scholars. 

Fulbright Scholar Workshop at Utah State University

1. Take Your Research Abroad. Our messaging for advertising and outreach focuses on making an impact abroad, and taking a global approach in research. 
2. Celebrate Successes. We celebrated being named a top producer by issuing a press release, resulting in university, local, and statewide press coverage. Faculty members were happy to be available for interviews, lending a personal testimonial, the most successful marketing strategy. In fall of 2018, Utah State University will host a Fulbright dinner celebrating Fulbright Scholars, Specialists, and Students from the previous academic year. 
3. Workshop Sessions. Following the press release, we hosted workshops providing information about the Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards, reaching out to the university faculty list and our interest list. The presence of Fulbright alumni, including those who have served on national selection committees, was a valuable addition to these workshops. As a statewide university, we broadcasted the session and recorded it for future reference.  
4. One-on-One Advising. Be available to faculty and scholars. Promoting one-on-one meetings with Fulbright Scholar Liaisons offers support on a personal level to create a strategy specific to the scholar’s needs, talents and desires for their specialty and research goals. 
5. Webinars. As the campus Fulbright Scholar Liaisons, we share the tips and webinars created by the Fulbright Scholar Program, giving faculty resources to investigate the opportunities that best fit their career and personal goals. This serves a dual purpose of informing scholars of opportunities and encouraging advising sessions through our email marketing. 

As we continue to build and spread the message through our strategy, we are focusing on informing scholars that a Fulbright is not only attainable but extremely valuable to a scholar’s career and personal development. We’re confident faculty and scholars will be encouraged to apply, trusting the Fulbright alumni and campus liaisons to serve as an additional resource to them for this process.