Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) established the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders Initiative in 2019 to recognize and commend the strong partnership between the Fulbright Program and HBCUs. This initiative is part of the U.S. State Department’s long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion within the Fulbright Program and within the Bureau’s exchange programs overall.

Fulbright Visiting Scholar Mahesh Kumar Joshi at North Carolina A&T State University

Fulbright U.S. Student Lyndsie Whitehead from Howard University

Training for Fulbright Program Advisers from HBCUs, held at Spelman College

2024 Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders Announcement

My Fulbright experience had a profound effect on me and the way I approach research. It gave me a more global perspective and appreciation of diversity across cultures and people.”

EMMANUEL JOHNSON

North Carolina A&T State University

U.S. Student to The United Kingdom, 2013-2014

HBCUs Form Global Connections Through Fulbright: Past and Present

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals from all backgrounds and diverse institutions the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to complex global challenges.

HBCUs have been deeply engaged in the Fulbright Program since its founding. Fisk University President Dr. Charles S. Johnson was on the inaugural Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in the 1940s and the first Fulbright cohort included four participants affiliated with HBCUs. This tradition continues today.

Fulbright visiting students and scholars contribute to HBCUs’ international networks and create long-term collaborations. Engagement with Fulbright bolsters institutional internationalization strategies and supports curriculum needs when Fulbrighters and program alumni share their expertise, establish international research partnerships, and build international networks.

Faculty members who have Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards return from their grant experiences and enrich their campus culture, students and curriculum, and the Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides recent alumni and graduate students with opportunities to gain valuable international perspectives and experiences.

Fulbright encourages HBCU participation in international exchange through resources, knowledge, and further opportunities. In 2019, Fulbright established the HBCU Institutional Leaders Initiative to recognize and commend the strong partnership between the Fulbright Program and HBCUs. In May 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the leadership of the four HBCUs of the Atlanta University Center Consortium and committed to expanding engagement with all HBCUs for all Department of State academic exchange programs. In fulfillment of that commitment,  the Fulbright Program convened an adviser training in February 2024 welcoming 35 representatives from HBCUs. Participants learned more about the role of the FPA in recruiting and advising their students and alums, and discussed how to foster a Fulbright culture on campus.

Fulbright HBCU Institutional Highlights

 

The Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund (OLF) and HBCUs: Short-Term Engagements, Long-Term Benefits

The Fulbright OLF brings international scholars, already in the United States, to different campuses for two-to-five day visits with events such as guest lectures, student mentoring, film festivals, and even state fairs.

Read more about Morgan State University, Virginia State University, and Xavier University of Louisiana

FLTAs Share Global Languages and Cultures in HBCU Classrooms and Communities

Fulbright FLTAs teach the significance of global holiday celebrations to their students and learn HBCU cultural traditions in return

Read more about Alcorn State University, Bennett College, Huston-Tillotson University, Jarvis Christian University, LeMoyne-Owen College, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, and Mississippi Valley State University

Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence Develop Innovative Courses and Relationships Beyond Campus

HBCUs that invite foreign scholars to teach on campus for one or two semesters benefit from the internationalization of their curriculum and opportunities for new study abroad and virtual exchange programs.

Read more about Howard University, Huston-Tillotson University, and North Carolina Central University

Fulbright HBCU Alumni Highlights

Karl Jackson

Virginia State University

Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Ghana

See Dr. Jackson's story

Keshia Abraham

Spelman College and Florida Memorial College

Fulbright U.S. Student to Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago; Fulbright U.S. Scholar to India

See Dr. Abraham's Story

Fulbright Resources for HBCUs

The Fulbright Program has resources to support HBCUs engagement, including:

HBCU Feature Articles

Previous Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs celebrates all institutions recognized since the launch of the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders initiative in 2019.