On March 28, 2024, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Karla Zadnik recognized students and faculty from The Ohio State University who are recent Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays recipients and Fulbright student semifinalists, as well as visiting Fulbright students and scholars from around the globe, during a reception at the Thompson Library.
“You serve as our ambassadors for opening the lines of communication and finding innovative ways to address the many challenges our global communities face each day,” noted Zadnik as she congratulated all the honorees on their accomplishments as recipients of the prestigious fellowships. “Experiencing other cultures deepens your knowledge, helps you gain a better understanding of yourself and those around you, and transforms your view of the world and your place within it.”
As host of the reception, Vice Provost of Global Strategies and International Affairs Kaya Şahin announced that Ohio State was named a top producer of Fulbright U.S. students for the fifth consecutive year. Nine undergraduate and six graduate students were awarded this prestigious grant for the 2023-24 academic year.
Over the last two award cycles, Ohio State has produced 24 Fulbright U.S. students and scholars, eight Fulbright specialists, four Fulbright-Hays doctoral research abroad recipients and one Fulbright-Hays faculty research abroad recipient. In addition, the university has hosted 27 Fulbright foreign students and 21 Fulbright foreign scholars. And this year there are 40 semi-finalists for the 2024-25 U.S. Fulbright student awards.
A two-time Fulbright recipient, Lorraine Wallace, professor in the College of Medicine, shared how connecting with other Ohio State Fulbright recipients via the Buckeye Brighters organization led to her experience in Skopje, North Macedonia. “Let us recognize the transformative power of educational exchange in fostering mutual understanding and building bridges of friendship and cooperation across borders,” Wallace remarked.
Foreign Fulbright Scholar Emi Smeplass, an associate professor the Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, is conducting comparative research in career and technical education between Norway and Ohio during her Fulbright experience in Columbus. Smeplass met Ohio State faculty member Chris Zirkle at a conference in Switzerland and as a former Fulbright Scholar to Finland, he encouraged her to apply for the fellowship. “I am confident that my time here at Ohio State will contribute to further exchange between our universities – and ultimately provide new insights valuable to improving the quality of our teacher training programs and the future of career and technical education in Norway and Ohio,” she observed.
The reception took place during the 15th Annual Fulbright Week at Ohio State, March 25-29. The Office of International Affairs and the Undergraduate Fellowship Office combine their efforts to plan a week full of events acknowledging past recipients and hosting workshops, information sessions and open houses designed to inform potential faculty, undergraduate and graduate student applicants about the opportunities available through the Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays programs.
View a complete list of Ohio State Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays recipients, download the 18th Annual Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays Reception Program. Visit fulbright.osu.edu for more information about all the Fulbright Program grants.
2024 Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays Reception
For more information about the Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays programs at Ohio State, please contact Joanna Kukielka-Blaser.