Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
University of Houston Expands Addiction Research With $2.67M Gift to Help Combat National Opioid Epidemic
HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 12 -- The University of Houston issued the following news:
* * *
University of Houston Expands Addiction Research with $2.67M Gift to Help Combat National Opioid Epidemic
By Laurie Fickman, 713-743-8454, lafickma@Central.UH.EDU
As the United States continues to face the persistent and deadly opioid crisis, driven by the dangerous synthetic fentanyl, a $2.67 million gift to the University of Houston from the estate of Dr. William A. Gibson will honor his late son Michael, who lost his life to addiction in 2019.
The bequest builds on the Gibsons' earlier gift that created
... Show Full Article
HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 12 -- The University of Houston issued the following news:
* * *
University of Houston Expands Addiction Research with $2.67M Gift to Help Combat National Opioid Epidemic
By Laurie Fickman, 713-743-8454, lafickma@Central.UH.EDU
As the United States continues to face the persistent and deadly opioid crisis, driven by the dangerous synthetic fentanyl, a $2.67 million gift to the University of Houston from the estate of Dr. William A. Gibson will honor his late son Michael, who lost his life to addiction in 2019.
The bequest builds on the Gibsons' earlier gift that createdthe Michael C. Gibson Addiction Research Program in the Department of Psychology in memory of their son. That program produces some of the highest profile drug research in the world, recently developing a fentanyl vaccine that could block its ability to enter the brain, thus eliminating the drug's "high."
The new donation will establish the Michael Conner Gibson Endowed Professorship in Psychology and the Michael Conner Gibson Research Endowment in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
"This incredibly generous gift will accelerate UH's addiction research program and advance new approaches to treatment," said Daniel O'Connor, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
"Our future discoveries will forever honor the memory of Michael Conner Gibson and the Gibson family, and I expect that the work supported by these endowments will eventually save many thousands of lives," said Daniel O'Connor, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
The Michael C. Gibson Addiction Research Program is led by Therese Kosten, professor of psychology and co-led by Colin Haile, founding member of the UH Drug Discovery Institute. Their breakthrough fentanyl vaccine discovery could have major implications for the nation's opioid epidemic by becoming a relapse prevention agent for people trying to quit using opioids. While research reveals Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is treatable, an estimated 80% of those dependent on the drug suffer a relapse.
William Gibson (1933-2024) was a distinguished physicist, innovator and philanthropist. After earning his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University of Rochester, he began his career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and later co-founded Elographics, where he was instrumental in developing resistive-touch touchscreen technology and securing several related patents. Dr. Gibson's contributions to science and philanthropy continue to create a legacy.
Michael was a gifted journalist, a talented musician, and a devoted reader. He was a loyal friend and a loving son and brother.
In 2019, following Michael's death, his loving parents provided operating funds for faculty research program costs in the UH Addiction Behavioral Research Lab. The money was given to celebrate Michael's creative spirit through supporting cutting-edge research to help eliminate the hopelessness and helplessness confronting those suffering from addiction as well as their loved ones. The endowments established from this newest bequest will create perpetual funding committed to addiction research in memory of William and Mary Gibson and their son.
The endowed professorship is combined with matching funds from the Aspire Fund Challenge, a transformational $50 million grant program established in 2019 through a gift from an anonymous donor. The professorship is matched one-to-one by the donor, doubling its impact. Designed to propel UH's academic enterprise to unprecedented levels of distinction through philanthropic investment in research and scholarship, the Aspire Fund has enabled UH to increase the number of endowed chairs and professorships, including this new position.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2025/december/12112025-gibson-grant-addiction-research.php
USD President James T. Harris Discusses the Future of Higher Education During New York Times Panel
SAN DIEGO, California, Dec. 12 -- The University of San Diego issued the following news release on Dec. 11, 2025:
* * *
USD President James T. Harris Discusses the Future of Higher Education during New York Times Panel
The annual Dealbook Summit brings together thought leaders to discuss consequential issues facing the world.
*
On December 3, University of San Diego President James T. Harris III, D.Ed. joined a panel of higher education leaders to discuss the challenges facing higher education and their vision and hopes for the future at The New York Times Dealbook Summit.
Speakers at the
... Show Full Article
SAN DIEGO, California, Dec. 12 -- The University of San Diego issued the following news release on Dec. 11, 2025:
* * *
USD President James T. Harris Discusses the Future of Higher Education during New York Times Panel
The annual Dealbook Summit brings together thought leaders to discuss consequential issues facing the world.
*
On December 3, University of San Diego President James T. Harris III, D.Ed. joined a panel of higher education leaders to discuss the challenges facing higher education and their vision and hopes for the future at The New York Times Dealbook Summit.
Speakers at thesummit included business leaders, politicians, heads of state and other notable figures in conversations spanning topics such as leadership, geopolitical issues, the impact of AI, and the state of journalism.
During the Task Force conversation "The Education of Higher Education," Harris and other university leaders discussed the role of higher education as a public good, how to demonstrate the value of higher education, and how AI and other forces are shaping the learning experience and outcomes for students.
Harris, himself a first-generation college student who at one point during college experienced homelessness, described how, at pivotal moments in American history, access to higher education has opened doors to new opportunities, fostered economic prosperity, and helped put America at the forefront.
"My experience as a student changed the trajectory of my life, and it helped me understand -- and why I became a college president -- is to help students from low-income and poverty have access," Harris said. "What I worry about with AI is that there will be a separation for those who have access to the technology and those who will be left behind. What we are doing at USD is ensuring we are supporting access."
Harris noted the importance of providing access and the responsibility of universities to be welcoming places to students of all economic backgrounds. He underscored the need to create opportunities for all students to engage in high-impact practices like study abroad and research to enhance their college experiences and prepare for an ever-changing world.
In addition to Harris from USD, the conversation also included presidents and chancellors from Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, Oberlin College, the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Stanford University and Vanderbilt University.
Watch the conversation on the New York Times website (https://www.nytimes.com/events/dealbook/sessions/task-force-the-education-of-higher-education).
* * *
Original text here: https://www.sandiego.edu/news/detail.php?_focus=102160
UNT Faculty and Students Selected for Fulbright Program Awards to Foster International Collaboration
DENTON, Texas, Dec. 12 -- The University of North Texas issued the following news release:
* * *
UNT faculty and students selected for Fulbright Program awards to foster international collaboration
Faculty and students at the University of North Texas are working to make connections on an international scale daily, and three more are continuing the hard work of collaboration as part of the prestigious Fulbright Program.
Established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase the mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries
... Show Full Article
DENTON, Texas, Dec. 12 -- The University of North Texas issued the following news release:
* * *
UNT faculty and students selected for Fulbright Program awards to foster international collaboration
Faculty and students at the University of North Texas are working to make connections on an international scale daily, and three more are continuing the hard work of collaboration as part of the prestigious Fulbright Program.
Established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase the mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countriesthrough research, study, teaching and other collaborative opportunities. The program provides funding for university faculty, staff and students to teach, study, and conduct research projects abroad.
Since 1906, there have been more than 100 UNT faculty and staff named as UNT Fulbright Scholars and Specialists. Since 1949, more than 60 students have participated in the Fulbright Student program.
The award winners for the 2025-2026 academic year include.
Fulbright Scholar Awards
Julie Leventhal, a principal lecturer in the Honors College, will be returning to Romania to teach at the West University of Timisoara in Timisoara, Romania in the spring. This is her second time going to Romania as part of the Fulbright program, the first of which was in 2022 through the University of Bucharest. In Timisoara, she will be teaching a course on interpersonal relationships through the department of sociology and psychology. She'll also continue her project from her first Fulbright visit studying Romanian family values among young adults. This time, she also hopes to hold family education workshops within the community, such as relationship and marriage education, based on her earlier research on Romanian families. Leventhal has visited Romania multiple times for the part 15 years and looks forward to being based in a smaller city while also traveling to some surrounding countries like Hungary and Serbia during that time as well.
Feifei Pan, professor of geography and the environment in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Director of Graduate Studies, will be in Turkiye this fall establishing a collaborative relationship between the Izmir Institute of Technology and UNT. His Fulbright-funded project will be to develop an irrigation scheduling tool based on predicted soil moistures using weather forecasts and machine learning for more precise irrigation scheduling. The goal is to improve water use efficiency and conserve groundwater used for irrigation. He plans to turn the tool into an app that farmers can easily download and use anywhere. Pan will also use his experience in Turkiye to develop a new course titled "Hydrological Modeling" to teach students about hydrological processes.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Lily Stone will be an English teaching assistant at a high school in the North Rhine-Westphalia state in Germany. She'll be there this fall and looks forward to engaging with her students. Stone also plans to travel around the country, comparing German and American culture while seeking out similarities between the two. She chose to teach in Germany because of her interest in German art and culture and hopes to engage with it while there.
UNT's Global Engagement Office hosts Fulbright Faculty Workshops while UNT students can learn more during virtual sessions on Fulbright Fridays.
UNT faculty and students who are interested in applying for any Fulbright awards should email fulbright@unt.edu.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.unt.edu/news/2025/unt-faculty-and-students-selected-for-fulbright-program-awards-to-foster-international-collaboration.html
Rutgers: New Jersey Voters Understand Health Insurance Options But Worry About State Government's Influence on Plans
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey, Dec. 12 -- Rutgers University issued the following news:
* * *
New Jersey Voters Understand Health Insurance Options but Worry About State Government's Influence on Plans
A majority consider costs when making healthcare decisions
*
When it comes to health insurance plans, many of which can be expensive and poised to be more costly in 2026, do New Jerseyans know what they are paying for? The answer appears to be "yes," according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll in collaboration with the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals New Jersey Chapter
... Show Full Article
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey, Dec. 12 -- Rutgers University issued the following news:
* * *
New Jersey Voters Understand Health Insurance Options but Worry About State Government's Influence on Plans
A majority consider costs when making healthcare decisions
*
When it comes to health insurance plans, many of which can be expensive and poised to be more costly in 2026, do New Jerseyans know what they are paying for? The answer appears to be "yes," according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll in collaboration with the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals New Jersey Chapter(NABIP-NJ).
"New Jersey voters show a notable degree of confidence in navigating their health insurance, but many continue to grapple with a system they view as complicated, costly, and shaped by forces beyond their control," said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "The results point to a public that feels prepared to make choices within the system yet remains concerned about the affordability of care and the extent of the state's role in shaping available options."
Voters generally feel confident in their health insurance knowledge. Among those who have health insurance, 84% percent say they are confident in their understanding of their chosen plan (41% "very," 43% "somewhat") and 71% are confident in their understanding of the difference health insurance plan options available to them (32% "very," 39% "somewhat").
"This survey underscores the value of the broker in helping New Jerseyans understand their options to enable them in purchasing the health insurance that best suits their families' needs," said Jim Lardiere, NABIP-NJ president. "Health insurance brokers can be a key element in the process of purchasing insurance, driving costs down by fully educating the consumer and ensuring premium dollars are not being wasted on plans that are generally beyond the needs of the policy holder."
Voters ages 18 to 34 are less likely to feel confident in both their understanding of their chosen plan (73%) and the different health insurance options available to them (56%) than those 35 and older.
Those with some college education or less schooling are less likely to feel confident in their understanding of their chosen plan (80%) than those with more schooling (88%).
Voters who have an insurance plan through employment are less likely to feel confident in their understanding of their health insurance plan options (71%) than those enrolled in either Medicare or Medicaid (82%).
The poll also put a spotlight on the state government's role in the private insurance marketplace in New Jersey, particularly Trenton's level of influence on the rules, regulations and requirements that govern insurance plans.
Slightly more than 7 in 10 New Jersey voters say they are concerned (37% "very," 35% "somewhat") about the state government's influence. Meanwhile, 15% percent say they are "not very" concerned and 5% are not concerned at all.
Age weighed into the poll findings, as younger people rely on health insurance considerably less than older New Jerseyans. Voters ages 18 to 34 are less likely to express concern (56%) about government intervention than those 35 and older.
The poll also dived into premium costs in New Jersey.
About half of voters give "a great deal" of consideration to healthcare costs when making healthcare decisions (51%). Twenty-eight percent "somewhat" consider costs, 12% don't give too much consideration, and 7% don't give any consideration at all to costs.
Majorities across partisanship, gender, race and ethnicity, age, income, education, and insurance type consider costs when making healthcare decisions, though to varying degrees
Republicans are less likely to consider costs at least "somewhat" (72%) than Democrats (83%) and independents (82%).
Women (84%), nonwhite voters (87%), and those earning less than $100,000 in annual household income (84%) are all more likely than their counterparts to consider costs when making healthcare decisions.
Results are from a statewide poll of 795 voters contacted via live calling and texting from Oct. 3 to Oct. 17. This registered voter sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percentage points.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.rutgers.edu/news/new-jersey-voters-understand-health-insurance-options-worry-about-state-governments-influence
James Cook University: Injection Method Critical to Controlling Crown-of-thorns Starfish
TOWNSVILLE, Australia, Dec. 12 -- James Cook University issued the following news release:
* * *
Injection method critical to controlling Crown-of-thorns starfish
New James Cook University research finds that using the right toxin more quickly kills Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) and helps limit their ability to reproduce.
Lead author and JCU Professor of Marine Biology Morgan Pratchett has published new research demonstrating the best injection method to kill the problematic reef pest species and prevent them from spawning.
Professor Practhett's research team compared the effectiveness of
... Show Full Article
TOWNSVILLE, Australia, Dec. 12 -- James Cook University issued the following news release:
* * *
Injection method critical to controlling Crown-of-thorns starfish
New James Cook University research finds that using the right toxin more quickly kills Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) and helps limit their ability to reproduce.
Lead author and JCU Professor of Marine Biology Morgan Pratchett has published new research demonstrating the best injection method to kill the problematic reef pest species and prevent them from spawning.
Professor Practhett's research team compared the effectiveness ofvinegar and bile injection approaches.
"The bile injection was found to kill all the male starfish within 24 hours, so compared to vinegar, there was much less opportunity for those animals to spawn before they died," Prof Pratchett said.
"There was clear evidence that we should be using bile salts over vinegar, at least during the summer reproductive period."
COTS are native to coral reefs throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans and eat live coral, with culling programs locally overseen by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
"Over the summer period COTS release all their eggs or sperm en masse," Prof Pratchett said.
"It seems to be initiated naturally by the one of the males starting to spawn. That cues the remaining starfish in the area to spawn at the same time ... a single large female starfish the size of a dinner plate can produce literally millions of eggs.
"There's a concern that if you're not culling effectively, you just prolong the problem.
JCU biologist and research co-author Dr Peter Doll explained that when they injected female starfish, they would succumb and die, usually within 24 to 48 hours.
"We never saw any evidence that it induced spawning," he said.
"However, among the males, those animals that were injected did spawn. So there is a risk that culling these starfish during their reproductive period could initiate mass spawning."
With bile injections being expensive and sometimes difficult to obtain, Professor Pratchett's team are setting their eyes on optimising vinegar injections to control COTS.
"While climate change remains the reef's greatest threat, culling COTS is critical because it maximizes the opportunity for the reef to naturally adapt to changing environmental conditions," Prof Pratchett said.
"The next step is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the vinegar injection method by testing higher doses,
"But until then, it's critical that operators use the bile salts to avoid inducing spawning."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.jcu.edu.au/news/releases/2025/december/injection-method-critical-to-controlling-crown-of-thorns-starfish
Baylor University: From Krampus to the Yule Cat - How Darkness Defines Holiday Cheer
WACO, Texas, Dec. 12 -- Baylor University issued the following news:
* * *
From Krampus to the Yule Cat: How Darkness Defines Holiday Cheer
Baylor professor explains how ancient fears and folklore shaped the modern Christmas imagination
By Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, Media & Public Relations
When you think of Christmas today, you probably imagine twinkling lights, warm fires and a mug of hot cocoa. But those snug traditions are actually recent additions to Christmas lore. For centuries, Christmas came with a much darker - and eerier - side.
While researching the history of Christmas traditions,
... Show Full Article
WACO, Texas, Dec. 12 -- Baylor University issued the following news:
* * *
From Krampus to the Yule Cat: How Darkness Defines Holiday Cheer
Baylor professor explains how ancient fears and folklore shaped the modern Christmas imagination
By Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, Media & Public Relations
When you think of Christmas today, you probably imagine twinkling lights, warm fires and a mug of hot cocoa. But those snug traditions are actually recent additions to Christmas lore. For centuries, Christmas came with a much darker - and eerier - side.
While researching the history of Christmas traditions,Baylor University's Michael P. Foley, Ph.D., uncovered many forgotten Christmas customs and folklore, including those "scary ghost stories" alluded to in the 1963 holiday classic, "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year."
Ghost stories at Christmas have been around for centuries, and Foley said that taking a closer look at the darker side of Christmas, with its presence of these winter ghouls and ghosts, can help us find a deeper appreciation for the wonder and joy of the season.
The lyrics in "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" - "There'll be scary ghost stories, And tales of the glories of, Christmases long, long ago" - offer one of the few modern-day nods back to this darker time of Christmas. While those lyrics may sound whimsical today, they are based in historical and profound truth: Christmas was not always the purely sentimental season of "sugar plums dancing in our heads," Foley said.
Season of peril and hardship
Before Christmas became the heartwarming celebration we know today, winter was a season of peril and hardship. Long nights, bitter cold and food scarcity made it a time when evil was thought to roam freely.
Even the biblical telling of Christmas itself involves fear, uncertainty and the threat of death.
"After a stressful night seeking lodging for a woman in labor, the Infant Jesus is born in a foul stable and hunted by murderous henchmen," Foley said.
This is hardly the idyllic scene of modern holiday cards. For long-ago ancestors, winter was "a dreadful season that involved a constant fight against the cold and a struggle to stay fed," Foley said. Survival, not celebration, was the dominant theme.
Mythology and the Winter Solstice
Pre-Christian European mythology portrayed winter as a time when evil prevailed. The nights were long, weather was cold and crops had died off. The Winter Solstice brought a season when demons, ghosts and witches were said to be active. These beliefs persisted, shaping the folklore that still lingers in cultural memory, Foley said.
"Today, Halloween is the one night a year for ghouls," Foley said. "For the Celts, it was merely opening day of a long and dark season that would last until Spring."
Brutal characters of Christmas
In response to the fear of the darker months, a cast of terrifying Christmas characters populate the season, bringing with them both benevolence and brutality, Foley said. European folklore is full of these spirits, including a variety of goblins, ghosts and even werewolves, most of whom are tasked with terrorizing misbehaving children. Some of the most memorable include:
* Berchta and Lutzelfrau (Germany) are witch-like figures who sometimes bring gifts and sometimes disembowel disobedient boys and girls.
* Pere Fouettard (France), Hans Trapp (Alsace-Lorraine) and Schmutzli (Switzerland)are all associated with abducting and devouring naughty children.
* Krampus (Austria), the horned demon, punishes the wicked at Christmastime.
* Yule Cat (Iceland) - Foley's personal favorite - has "the curious preference for eating people who did not get new clothes for Christmas." Foley suspects this legend was designed to remind grown-ups to clothe the poor for an Icelandic winter, ultimately reminding us of the moral economy of generosity.
Modern characters like the Ghosts of Christmas Past and the Grinch also echo these older traditions but in a gentler form, Foley said.
Psychology behind the darkness
So, what are we to make of these strange stories? Foley believes the devious legends of Yuletide serve as a way to cope with real, winter-related hardships, which were not merely physical but also psychological. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), stress, depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, family strife, etc., add to the hardships of surviving the long, cold winter and they remain a perennial challenge, Foley said.
"The old spooky elements of Christmas are a way of articulating and coping with these issues," Foley said. "Myth and legend give voice and face to subconscious stress and thus become a kind of cathartic therapy."
Light against darkness
Ironically, it is these ghouls and goblins on one side of Christmas that make the bright side brighter. The contract between fear and festivity heightens the sense of coziness of the season, also known as 'comfort in the midst of discomfort.' The dark side of Christmas, Foley said, is like the principle of chiaroscuro in art - it makes the lights of Christmas that much brighter.
"Christmas coziness is one of the greatest feelings on earth, but it requires the presence of a real threat. It is only when the weather outside is frightful that the fire is so delightful," Foley said. "And it's even more delightful when you know, as they do in Norway, that that fire is keeping witches from coming down your chimney and knocking down your china as they fly around the room."
So, this holiday season, as you sip cocoa by the tree, remember - Christmas cheer shines brightest against the shadows. And maybe, just maybe, that's why it's the most wonderful time of the year.
* * *
ABOUT MICHAEL P. FOLEY, PH.D.
Michael P. Foley, Ph.D., is professor of patristics in the Great Texts program and assistant director of University Scholars in the Honors College at Baylor University, where he specializes in the political, philosophical and theological thought of St. Augustine of Hippo. Foley is the author of several books, including "Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe: Christmas Traditions Explained."
* * *
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.
* * *
ABOUT THE HONORS COLLEGE AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
The Honors College at Baylor University unites five academic pathways: the Bachelor of Philosophy degree, the Great Texts major, the University Scholars major, the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, and the Honors Program. Students may also choose to live in the Honors Residential College, a multi-year community of students that fosters formation through friendship, study, service, and spiritual engagement. Together these opportunities invite undergraduates to explore questions that reach beyond the boundaries of individual disciplines. For more information, visit the Honors College website.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2025/krampus-yule-cat-how-darkness-defines-holiday-cheer
2 Fordham Students Earn Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
NEW YORK, Dec. 12 -- Fordham University issued the following news:
* * *
2 Fordham Students Earn Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
By Patrick Verel
Two Fordham undergraduates will be heading abroad next year, thanks to a U.S. State Department scholarship that provides support for students studying internationally.
Andrra Kryeziu, an honors student in her junior year majoring in International Political Economy, and Zainab Razia, a junior majoring in political science, were announced last week as recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
The Gilman is a congressionally
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Dec. 12 -- Fordham University issued the following news:
* * *
2 Fordham Students Earn Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
By Patrick Verel
Two Fordham undergraduates will be heading abroad next year, thanks to a U.S. State Department scholarship that provides support for students studying internationally.
Andrra Kryeziu, an honors student in her junior year majoring in International Political Economy, and Zainab Razia, a junior majoring in political science, were announced last week as recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
The Gilman is a congressionallyfunded, merit-based scholarship designed to help American students build skills critical to the nation's security and prosperity through exposure to other languages and cultures. To be eligible, students must be U.S. citizens or nationals and recipients of a Pell Grant--a form of federal financial aid for undergraduates.
Both of the new Gilman Scholars have their study abroad plans set: Kryeziu will study international relations and business in Paris this spring. Razia will head to Granada, Spain, and Morocco in the summer to study migration policy.
Global Opportunities and Networking
Study abroad is on the rise at Fordham: the percentage of students participating has grown to a historic high of 51%, with the University being listed among the top-20 doctoral-granting universities this year for the number of students who traveled abroad for a full semester. The Gilman program helps to raise those numbers, with 11 students receiving the scholarship last year.
Lorna Ronald, PhD, director of the Office of Fellowship Advising, said the Gilman scholarship is noteworthy because recipients have access to a network of fellow Gilman alumni after their trip and receive preferential hiring consideration in the federal government upon graduation.
She noted that students who travel abroad not only absorb lessons from other cultures, but also find themselves thinking more about what it means to be a U.S. citizen.
"When students see themselves as cultural ambassadors and leaders in this way, they start to shift their thinking in terms of what they can do in the future, and that's really exciting," she said.
A Dream Realized
Andrra Kryeziu grew up in Kosovo and has called Charlotte, North Carolina, home since 2015. She has returned to Europe many times to visit her extended family, but she has always dreamed of spending time in Paris. She's eager to learn French and take classes in psychology and marketing alongside classmates with diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
"I've heard that study abroad is the place to meet some of your best friends and people who you might not have met any other way," she said. "I think it would be great to also learn from people whose teaching style may be a bit different."
A Chance to Grow
For Zainab Razia, a native of Queens who commutes from Valley Stream, New York, to the Lincoln Center campus, studying in Spain and Morocco is a chance to truly stretch her wings. She's excited to learn about Granada's blend of Moorish, Christian, Jewish, and Roman influences.
"I feel like studying abroad will let me experience college to the fullest. I want to gain that international perspective," she said.
"Even when I go back to Pakistan to visit my family, I learn so much because it's a completely different culture, and people communicate differently. You can learn a lot just by being in a new environment."
* * *
Original text here: https://now.fordham.edu/university-news/2-fordham-students-earn-gilman-scholarships-to-study-abroad/
