Fulbright HSI Leaders Initiative

Fulbright HSI Leaders

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) established the Fulbright HSI Leaders Initiative in 2021 to recognize and commend the strong partnership between the Fulbright Program and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). 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.

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2024 HSI Leaders Announced

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2024 Fulbright HSI Leaders Announced

The U.S. Department of State recognizes 50 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) as Fulbright HSI Leaders to acknowledge their noteworthy support for Fulbright exchange participants and promotion of Fulbright program opportunities on campus in the previous year. The initiative encourages administrators, faculty and students at HSIs to engage with Fulbright and highlights the strength of HSIs as destinations for international students and scholars.

HSIs serve approximately two-thirds of all Hispanic students in U.S. higher education. The Fulbright Program works closely with stakeholders, including the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), to promote international exchange opportunities to staff, students, and faculty at HSIs. With a commitment to equity, the Fulbright Program takes concerted steps to ensure that participants have successful and rewarding experiences before, during, and after their exchanges.

The following institutions were recognized according to their degree classifications at HACU’s annual conference on November 3, 2024:

Doctoral

Arizona State University

California State University, Northridge

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

City College of New York, CUNY

Florida Atlantic University

Florida International University

Graduate School and University Center, CUNY

Montclair State University

Northern Arizona University

Rutgers University-Newark

San Diego State University

Texas A & M University

Texas State University

Texas Tech University

The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at San Antonio

University of Arizona

University of California, Irvine

University of California, Riverside

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, Santa Cruz

University of Central Florida

University of Connecticut

University of Houston

University of Illinois Chicago

University of New Mexico

University of North Texas

Masters

Baruch College, CUNY

College of Staten Island, CUNY

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach

Hunter College, CUNY

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

Lehman College, CUNY

North Park University

Queens College, CUNY

Saint Edward’s University

San Jose State University

Baccalaureate

Austin College

Georgia Gwinnett College

Huston-Tillotson University

Associates

Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY

Bronx Community College, CUNY

College of the Sequoias

East Los Angeles College

Lone Star College System

Miami Dade College

Northwest Vista College

Special Focus

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Congratulations to the 2024 Fulbright HSI Leaders

Scott Weinhold, Senior Bureau Official of ECA, announces the 2024 Fulbright HSI Leaders, commending their noteworthy engagement with the Fulbright Program. This initiative is part of the U.S. State Department’s long-standing commitment to build diversity and inclusion within the Fulbright Program and within the Bureau’s exchange programs overall.

Fulbright and HACU: Invaluable Partners and Life-Changing Opportunities

The U.S. Department of State and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities have partnered for decades to encourage students, faculty, and staff from Hispanic-Serving Institutions to participate in life-changing international exchange programs such as Fulbright, and to encourage students from HACU member institutions to pursue careers in diplomacy. Meet some of the students and faculty who have taken part in Fulbright opportunities, and hear from leaders of HACU-member institutions about the impact on individuals and institutions of participating in this global network, including building long-term research partnerships and international collaborations.

At left, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board member Carmen Estrada-Schaye announces the Fulbright Hispanic-Serving Institution Leaders at the HACU annual conference

SEE HSI STUDENT AND FACULTY STORIES

Fulbright HSI Alumni Highlights

Juan Gonzalez

California State University at Long Beach

Fulbright U.S. Student to Argentina

See Juan's story

David Robledo

Texas Tech

Fulbright U.S. Student to Costa Rica

See David's story

Voices From Our Community

I offer my enthusiastic congratulations to the Hispanic-Serving Institutions across the country that have been recognized as 2024 Fulbright HSI Leaders. And I am proud that this year’s list of honorees includes Cal Poly Pomona, California State University, Northridge, San Diego State, and San Jose State, continuing the California State University system’s longstanding commitment to the Fulbright Program, the nation’s flagship international academic exchange initiative. I am grateful to be a two-time Fulbrighter myself, and I will forever treasure those experiences, which have enriched my personal and professional lives in immeasurable ways. This enthusiasm and support for the Fulbright Program extends across the CSU’s 23 universities, 21 of which are HSIs, and I am confident that our engagement with the program will continue to grow as we advance our shared priority of teaching our talented and diverse students – the world’s future leaders – to become active and engaged participants in our increasingly interconnected, interdependent global economy and society.

MILDRED GARCÍA, ED.D.
California State University system Chancellor, Fulbright Alum to Jordan, Oman, and France

As a Fulbright recipient, my international research provided me with a whole new outlook and a deep appreciation which enriched me both professionally and personally. I’m proud of the work Purchase is doing to ensure that students and faculty have opportunities for globally-focused education and cross-cultural experiences both here on campus and abroad.”

DR. MILAGROS “MILLY” PEÑA
Purchase College, Fulbright Alum to Mexico

Fulbright has a solid record of recruiting and selecting people from diverse backgrounds and helping to ensure that those individuals have successful and rewarding experiences abroad. I salute the State Department for launching this Fulbright HSI Leaders initiative to build on that record by expanding the representation of HSIs in the Fulbright Program.

DR. FÉLIX V. MATOS RODRÍGUEZ
City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor and U.S. Higher Education Leader

Fulbright HSI Leader Highlights

University of Houston

Learn about how the University of Houston Creates a “Fulbright Culture” Through Teamwork

University of Houston's Story

Arizona State University

Learn about how Arizona State University Commits to Inclusion and Global Citizenship

Arizona State's Story

City University of New York

Learn about how CUNY’s Fulbright HSI Leaders Reflect the Diversity of New York and U.S. Higher Education

CUNY's Story

Fulbright Resources for HSIs

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

Fulbright HSI Virtual Workshops

Fulbright HSI Virtual Workshops: for HSI faculty and administrators. View the recordings from the HSI workshops:

Webinars in English and Spanish

Webinars for Fulbright U.S. Student and Fulbright U.S. Scholar applicants.
A Spanish-language webinar for applicants to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Virtual Office Hours

Virtual office hours hosted by Fulbright Staff for Fulbright Program Advisers and Fulbright Scholar Liaisons.

On Campus Advising and Support

Fulbright offers extensive training and resources for both Fulbright Program Advisers and Fulbright Scholar Liaisons as primary points of contact for the Program on campus.

Fulbright Program Advisers support U.S. student applicants. For more information about finding or becoming an FPA, contact [email protected].
Fulbright Scholar Liaisons promote faculty participation. For more information about finding or becoming a Liaison, contact [email protected].

Fulbright Program Opportunities

Explore Fulbright opportunities that are available for students, faculty members and administrators, and find the right Fulbright for you.

Overview of Fulbright Opportunities for HSIs

Download the Fulbright HSI Overview Flier

Social Media

Engage with Social Media to check out more Fulbright HSI features on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Use #Fulbright to share your own memories, experiences, and achievements as an HSI Fulbrighter. We accept content at [email protected] or via an online form.

Previous Fulbright HSI Leaders

2023 Fulbright HSI Leaders recognized engagement with Fulbright during the 2022-23 academic year

2022 Fulbright HSI Leaders recognized engagement with Fulbright during the 2021-22 academic year

The Inaugural Fulbright HSI Leaders recognized engagement with Fulbright during the 2019-21 academic years