Patrick Louchouarn, senior vice provost for leadership and external engagement, Office of Academic Affairs at The Ohio State University, has been awarded a 2026-2027 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program International Education Administrator (IEA) award to France.
Louchouarn will join other senior leaders for a two-week seminar in October designed to familiarize U.S. higher education administrators with France's higher education and research system. The seminar includes campus visits with a cross-section of universities and colleges, briefings with faculty and administration, and sessions with government officials and educational experts.
“My participation in the Fulbright IEA seminar directly advances our “Education for Citizenship 2035” strategic plan, specifically the goal to elevate our global academic brand and foster "Academic Excellence." As Ohio State’s inaugural senior vice provost for faculty tasked with the development of the first Office of Faculty Affairs in Ohio State’s history, and currently overseeing the Office of International Affairs, I have an unprecedented opportunity to build connections across our major offices, to disseminate information about Fulbright and impact how global engagement is incorporated in faculty excellence metrics,” Louchouarn explained.
France is a global leader in areas where Ohio State is also strongly positioned: aerospace, automotive industry, sustainability, agriculture and medicine. Louchouarn hopes to align these strengths and connect the university’s $1.6 billion research enterprise with top-tier French institutions.
“This seminar provides a critical opportunity to expand our relationships and deepen our engagement with French institutions of higher education, in areas of known expertise for French research. By gaining first-hand knowledge of the French system and building networks of collaborators, I will be better positioned to align our strategic initiatives with compatible French institutional partners,” Louchouarn noted.
Ohio State has long been a top producer of Fulbright students and scholars. The university also maintains more than 200 global partnerships, but only a small fraction are in France. Louchouarn sees an opportunity to address that disparity.
“The Fulbright IEA seminar is a targeted way to build a more reciprocal exchange pipeline,” he said. The IEA seminar will strengthen my capacity to transition from research-focused engagement to executive-level administration of Franco-American partnerships. My primary goal is to establish structured internship pathways for French master’s students and research collaborations in areas that are aligned with our Academic Pinnacles.”
A trilingual cultural ambassador with a lifetime of navigating diverse cultural and linguistic environments, Louchouarn has deep rooted ties to France. He served as an invited professor at Sciences Po and the Institut National de Recherche Agricole, contributing to sustainable development curricula, and sponsored multiple academic agreements with French institutions. For seven years, he was a permanent jury member for the International Partner University Fund, facilitating funding for French-American collaborative projects across all academic fields. He also mentored French graduate students and was the primary advisor for a U.S. student on a Chateaubriand fellowship at the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse. From 2021-2022 he also served as the Chief International Officer at Texas A&M University.
Fulbright
The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by the Institute of International Education and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
For more information about the Fulbright Scholar Program contact Joanna Kukielka-Blaser. View a complete list of Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program recipients.