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Vassar Leads in Fulbright Grants
According to the Institute of International Education, Vassar is again among the top 10 undergraduate institutions whose recent graduates have earned Fulbright awards. In 2008-2009, 10 Fulbrights were awarded to Vassar alumni (out of 42 applicants). Only Pomona, Smith, Pitzer, and Kenyon colleges had a greater number of successful applicants. Alumnae/i from the classes of 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 received grants this year, enabling them to travel, conduct research, or teach around the world in such nations as Uruguay, Russia, and Portugal. Samuel Anderson ’09, for example, plans to produce an oral history in Morocco by interviewing Moroccan veterans of the French Army in World War II about their experiences during and after the war in Europe and their participation in the Moroccan nationalist movement of the 1950s. Jonathan Kaiman ’09, shown here, will travel to southwestern China, where he will study the impact of modernity and mainstream Chinese life on the musical traditions of the Yi people.
Lisa Kooperman, director of Vassar’s Office of Fellowships and Pre-Health Advising, acknowledged the effort put forth by members of the Committee on Fellowships, “who spent many hours reviewing these applications and providing feedback to the applicants,” adding, “I credit their hard work and dedication to our continued success in this competition.” Fulbright success is a trend that Kooperman hopes will continue in the coming years. Her office already has helped to package 39 applications for the upcoming fellowship cycle.