Fulbright Scholars program now open for applications

This year's Fulbright Scholars program is now open for applications.

For those who do not know, Fulbright, named after late Senator J. William Fulbright, is a grant program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government. The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), the scholar division of the Institute of International Education (IIE), administers the program for State. Selected Fulbright Scholars spend time abroad at a foreign host institution. Awards are for teaching, research, or some combination of teaching and research. There are awards both for U.S. scholars interested in traveling abroad as well as non-U.S. scholars interested in visiting an institution in the United States.

Law faculty should note there are always multiple award announcements seeking faculty with legal expertise, and this year is no different. There are 62 awards for which law is a designated discipline. Destinations range from Australia to Zimbabwe, including multi-country regional grants. Can't spare a full semester? There are now flex awards that permit multiple, short-term stays in the host country over a period of 1-2 years. You can search the awards here.

In 2017, I completed a Fulbright to Croatia (Hrvatska) where I taught at the University of Zagreb for 5 months. I made many professional contacts and dear friends. As a parent, one of the most rewarding aspects of the Fulbright was the chance to live abroad with children, which while occasionally soul stretching, was very good for them developmentally. And I enjoyed myself too as I explored a corner of the world that was previously unfamiliar to me.