Augsburg named top producer of Fulbright Scholars

Augsburg University has again been named a Fulbright Top-Producing Institution for U.S. Scholars.

This designation was announced by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs on February 10. It recognizes the colleges and universities that had the highest number of applicants selected for the 2022–23 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Each year, this elite program selects approximately 900 faculty members or administrators from across the country to lecture, conduct research, or pursue short- or long-term professional projects abroad.

In the 2022–23 academic year, Augsburg faculty members George Dierberger, Thomas ’72 and Karen Howe endowed professor for entrepreneurship, and Joseph Erickson, professor of education, were named Fulbright Scholars. Dierberger’s Fulbright took him to Letterkenny, Ireland, while Erickson is spending the spring in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

“The fact that we have so many Augsburg professors who have been selected to participate in the program speaks to the quality of our faculty and the support of the administration,” said Dierberger, who serves as one of Augsburg’s faculty liaisons for Fulbright Scholars.

Augsburg has also been named a top producer of Fulbright students among U.S master’s institutions, with three students receiving scholarships to teach English abroad in 2021–22.

“It is such a great achievement, both faculty and student Fulbright awards, and it should be celebrated,” said John Zobitz, professor of mathematics and data science. Zobitz serves as Augsburg’s other faculty liaison for Fulbright Scholars and was a Fulbright Scholar himself in 2021.

The Fulbright Program has been a cornerstone of international education and cultural exchange for the United States since 1946. The purpose of the program is to inspire, innovate, and contribute to finding solutions for communities and the world.

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Top image: The Quad at Augsburg’s campus (photo by Courtney Perry)