Montgomery College’s Fulbright Scholar Makes MC the Only Community College in Maryland to Earn the Distinction this Year

Montgomery College is proud to be the only community college in the state of Maryland this year to have a student named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar. MC is included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2019-2020 Fulbright U.S. Scholars, with Dr. Sanjay Rai, senior vice president for academic affairs receiving this prestigious award. Each year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the lists annually.

The only community college on this year’s list to have more than one Fulbright scholar was City of New York La Guardia Community College, with two students obtaining this award.

Dr. Rai is an outspoken champion and ardent supporter of innovations that advance community college student success in academic, career, technical, and workforce development programs. Dr. Rai participated in the two week Fulbright 2019 Russia Community College Administrator Seminar, which was held in April 2019.

“We are delighted to see that the colleges and universities we are honoring as 2019-2020 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions reflect the geographic and institutional diversity of higher education in the United States,” said Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. “In supporting their faculty and administrators who pursue Fulbright awards, these institutions benefit from new viewpoints from abroad and new international collaborations, which often lead to discoveries and breakthroughs that have a global impact. Fulbright U.S. Scholars benefit professionally throughout their career by expanding the scope and reach of their research, bringing a global perspective to their teaching, and receiving the professional recognition that comes with being named a Fulbright Scholar.”

The Fulbright Program was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Over 2,200 U.S. Students and over 900 U.S. college and university faculty and administrators are awarded Fulbright grants annually. In addition, some 4,000 Fulbright Foreign Students and Visiting Scholars come to the United States annually to study, lecture, conduct research, or teach their native language.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 390,000 passionate and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems. The global network of Fulbrighters fosters mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, advances knowledge across communities, and improves lives around the globe.