Five University of Oregon faculty members named Fulbright Scholars

EUGENE, Ore. -- (Nov. 7, 2012) -- Five University of Oregon professors have been honored with 2012-13 Fulbright awards to teach and conduct advanced research abroad. The newest cohort brings the cumulative total of UO faculty and staff who have been named Fulbright Scholars to 131.

The UO recipients are among the approximately 800 faculty and professionals who will travel abroad for the 2013-14 academic year through the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program. Those from the UO include experts in anthropology, architecture, literature and strategic management.

“It was a great honor to have won the fellowship,” said Professor David Li, who is travelling to the UK to advance his research on contemporary Chinese cinema at the University of the Arts, London. “I also cherish the opportunity Fulbright has provided for me to have an interdisciplinary intellectual exchange with the dynamic colleagues in London and the European scholarly community.”

Li is hoping to complete his monograph entitled "Globalization on Speed: Economy, Emotion, and Ethics in Contemporary Chinese Cinema," under contract with Stanford University Press.

The UO cohort also includes Professor Lisa Gilman, who will be conducting research in Malawi (East Africa) to explore the disappearance of indigenous culture and the challenges facing various stakeholders.

“This project explores everyday people’s concerns about cultural erosion in relationship to the implementation of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage,” explained Gilman. “The Malawian Government and UNESCO officials have identified two dance forms out of hundreds in need of safeguarding. Who decides what is identified for safeguarding? Whose needs are met by UNESCO initiatives? What do people mean by ‘cultural loss’?”

UO Professor Bradley Goes will travel to India, with the intent to teach, share learning experiences and conduct collaborative research.

“I will be teaching courses in strategic management and organizational change, and conducting research with faculty in India on organizational change and strategy in the business and higher education sectors in India,” said Goes.

“The UO produces a steady stream of student and faculty participants in the Fulbright program. The five colleagues we celebrate today, along with the seven students who received Fulbrights for 2012-13, testify to UO’s commitment to global civic engagement and cross-cultural exchange,” said UO Vice Provost for International Affairs Dennis Galvan.

The Fulbright Scholar Program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is America's flagship international educational exchange program. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has sponsored approximately 300,000 American and foreign scholars. Recipients are selected based on academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

The 2012-13 UO Fulbright Visiting Scholars are:

·      Associate Professor Lisa Marie Gilman, Department of English; host institution is Mzuzu University in Malawi.

·      Adjunct Associate Professor James Bradley Goes, strategic management; host institution is University of Pune in India.

·      Professor Garrett Hongo, creative writing; host institution is University of Florence in Italy.

·      Associate Professor Nicolas Larco, architecture; host institution is Polytechnical University of Catalonia in Spain.

·      Professor David Li, Department of English; host institution is University of the Arts London in the United Kingdom.

About Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Each year some 800 faculty and professionals from around the world receive Fulbright Scholar grants for advanced research and university lecturing in the United States. Individual grants are available to scholars from over 150 countries. To apply, visit http://fulbright.state.gov/

About the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.

MEDIA CONTACT:Joe Mosley, UO media relations, 541-346-3606, jmosley@uoregon.edu

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