Trinity College was recognized in February as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Top Producing Institution for the 2018–19 academic year and is tied with Middlebury College and Colgate University in the number one spot on the list of bachelor’s institutions. Each year, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces the top-producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.
Three Trinity faculty scholars—Kent D. Dunlap, Charles A. Dana Research Professor of Biology; Peter A. Yoon, professor of computer science; and Justin Fifield, visiting assistant professor of religious studies—were awarded Fulbright awards for 2018–19, the highest number awarded to any baccalaureate institution in the nation.
Tim Cresswell, Trinity College dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs, said, “Trinity is honored to be among U.S. institutions producing the greatest number of Fulbright Scholars this year. … The goals of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program are very much in keeping with Trinity’s core mission, which includes engaging members of our academic community as global citizens in the wider world and experiencing the real-world relevance of their liberal arts education.”
In addition to Trinity’s faculty scholars this year, a Trinity student was awarded a Fulbright grant for 2018–19. Alicia Abbaspour ’18 received an English Teaching Assistantship through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to travel to Malaysia for 10 months to teach English to secondary school students. Abbaspour, who came to Trinity from Indiana, completed a double major in international studies and English literature and a minor in French studies.