Wheaton ranks high in number of student Fulbright Scholars
October 22, 2004
Among baccalaureate colleges, Wheaton is among the top 25 producers of Fulbright student scholars for 2004-2005, according to a special feature published in the Chronicle of Higher Education today. Last spring, three Wheaton students won Fulbright awards to study and teach abroad this academic year, while a total of 24 have won in recent years.
Anna Kratky '04, a history major and women's studies minor from St. Louis, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to South Korea, where she is teaching English and researching Korean women's educational opportunities and academic choices. Stefanie Olsen '04, an English major from San Francisco, won a Fulbright to study Icelandic literature at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. Erin Tapley '04 won a Fulbright Teaching Award to teach English language and American studies to German high school students. The double major (German and international relations) from Auburn, Maine, hopes to be a ''cultural translator'' for German students.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Colin Powell released the official list of US student Fulbright grantees for the 2004-2005 academic year, a total of 1,099 grants. ''As Fulbrighters, these Americans have important responsibilities,'' Powell said in a statement. ''First and foremost, they engage in serious academic study or research abroad. In addition, they will immerse themselves in learning about their new host country and will have opportunities to share their perspectives on the United States with their hosts.'' The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State.
The October 22 issue of the Chronicle featured profiles of five student Fulbright winners as well as data on the colleges and universities with the highest number of students receiving competitive Fulbright grants. In the past decade, Wheaton has consistently been among these ranks in the category of liberal arts colleges.
Out of the 1,099 Fulbrighters nationwide, 635 are studying at the bachelor's degree level. Fellows undertake self-designed programs in disciplines ranging from social sciences, business, communication and performing arts to physical sciences, engineering and education.
Wheaton is a highly selective college of the liberal arts and sciences with a student body of 1,550. It is a member of the Twelve College Exchange, which also includes Amherst, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Trinity, Wellesley and Wesleyan.
