UofL tops 100 mark with latest crop of Fulbrights

The University of Louisville has passed another milestone when it comes to Fulbright scholars. With 13 winners so far this year, UofL has named more than 100 Fulbright awardees since 2003 and is close to meeting or besting its all-time record of 14 in a single year. Patricia Condon, who heads the prestigious scholar program, said the total number of Fulbrights since 2003 now stands at 102. She said six more candidates are still waiting to receive word or have been chosen as alternates, which means the number could continue to grow. UofL has been working for more than a decade to build an infrastructure and campus culture to help students compete for prestigious scholarships. The reason UofL officials often refer back to 2003 when tracking the number of Fulbright scholars is because that was when the recently formed National and International Scholarship Opportunities Office was fully up and running. “Prior to 2003 there were just a handful of UofL Fulbrights, so it’s pretty obvious from these results that our scholar program is nothing short of outstanding,” UofL President James Ramsey said. “Crossing that 100 mark felt pretty incredible.” Condon gave high praise to the university community for mentoring top students and helping them during their academic journey. “As I began working on an invite list for a scholar celebration, I realized that we had 60 faculty members and university leaders—including several deans—who helped these scholars compete and prepare for their awards,” Condon said. “This enthusiasm and support is what really sets our program apart.” She also noted that the destinations for this year’s Fulbrights include lesser known countries such as Belarus, Estonia, Malawi and Namibia, demonstrating that UofL will have the opportunity to impact some of the furthest reaches of the globe. The university recently announced that 2013 alumna Rae Hodge earned a Fulbright award and plans to announce the names and destinations of the additional winners in the coming weeks. UofL also was recognized in February as one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright scholars.