PROVIDENCE – For the second consecutive year, both Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design ranked among the top producers of Fulbright U.S Students according to the annual Chronicle of Higher Education ranking.
The most recent list, published Feb. 18, saw Brown top the research institutions category. Of the 118 applicants for Fulbright Student grants from Brown’s community, 39 were awarded.
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This distinction marks the second consecutive year the Ivy League school topped the research institutions category. In the 2016-2017 Chronicle of Higher Education ranking, 30 of Brown’s 110 applicants received Fulbright grants.
In a statement released by the school Monday, Linda Dunleavy, associate dean of the college for fellowships, said the consecutive-year distinction “underscores the alignment of the values and commitments that Brown and Fulbright foster: intellectual; courage, exploration, independence and global engagement.”
The second highest number of Fulbright Student grants awarded to research institutions during the 2017-2018 academic year were to 29 of the 86 applicants at the University of Notre Dame. Northwestern University came in third place when 25 of its 119 applicants were selected for grants.
In addition, RISD topped the Special-Focus 4-Year Institutions category with four 2017-2018 academic year Fulbright Student grants. The 2016-2017 ranking saw RISD tie for first place with two Fulbright Student grants awarded.
Per RISD’s count the 2017-2018 distinction is the fifth time in eight years the school was the top producer of Fulbright Students for Special-Focus 4-Year Institutions.
With two Fulbright Scholar grants awarded in the 2017-2018 academic year, RISD tied the other two schools listed in the Special-Focus 4-Year Institutions category. Its fellow category honorees were Oregon Health and Science University and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – which both also had two Fulbright Scholar grants awarded this academic year.
Last year, RISD topped the same category also with two grants. Seven other institutions were listed in the 2016-2017 ranking with one each.
The Fulbright Program was launched in 1946 when President Harry S. Truman signed into law a 1945 bill written by Sen. J. William Fulbright. The legislation, according to the foundation, sought to use “surplus war property to fund the promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science.”
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
