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Geneseo, UR named top Fulbright grant schools

Two local colleges have made the annual list of top producers of Fulbright grants – SUNY Geneseo and the University of Rochester.

The annual list is broken down in groups of schools designated by their terminal degrees. Hence, UR is among other schools that give doctorates, and Geneseo is on a separate list for schools that grant master’s degrees.

The 2019 list was published in the Chronicle of Higher Education by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Fulbright grants allow for students to take time after graduation to conduct research or teach English abroad.

With 10 students winning Fulbright grants, UR was actually near the bottom of the top doctoral schools, tying with others such as Pennsylvania State University, American University and Northeastern University. The 10 winners were among 37 UR students who applied for Fulbright grants, indicating a success rate of 27 percent.  By comparison, Harvard University’s 125 applicants had a success rate of 21.6 percent.

Geneseo, meanwhile, was near the top of its list, placing at third for master’s degree schools. Seven Geneseo students won the grants for study abroad after they graduated. The success rate there was nearly 37 percent.

This is the third year in a row Geneseo has been on the Top Producer list.

Geneseo President Denise A. Battles said, “The Fulbright competition pits our talented and accomplished students and alumni against those of the country’s finest colleges and universities. Our ongoing success is a testament to the high-quality education our students receive and evidences Geneseo’s status as one of the nation’s premier public liberal arts colleges.”

For the coming year, when winners are announced beginning in March, a record 36 Geneseo students applied, with 17 already having been selected as semi-finalists, the college said. UR reported that 21 of its students have been named semi-finalists.

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Four local colleges are top producers of Fulbright students

Four local and regional institutions are on lists for producing the most Fulbright students—students who win a Fulbright scholarship to study abroad—in 2017-18.

The four are the State University College at Geneseo, Nazareth College, University of Rochester and Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the highest-ranking school in the area on the various lists was Geneseo, which placed third on the list of schools with master’s degrees as the terminal degree. Geneseo has six Fulbright students studying in Brazil, Vietnam, The Netherlands, Germany and Malaysia.

“This recognition is a tangible indicator of Geneseo’s commitment to inspiring globally aware citizens, as reflected in our college’s mission statement,” said Denise Battles, Geneseo president. “A great deal of praise goes to the faculty and staff on campus who support our students’ efforts to secure nationally competitive Fulbright awards.”

UR actually has the most Fulbright students—10—among schools in the Rochester area, and was tied with six others for 40th on a list of the top research institutions.

The Fulbright program is sponsored by the US Department of State and designed to encourage international exchange of ideas. The Chronicle article also listed schools producing Fulbright scholars, who receive grants to do research or teach in other countries. No local school was listed as producing a Fulbright scholar this year.

Nazareth in Pittsford, which produced three Fulbright students, shared 18th place with four other schools on the list of the top master’s-degree schools.

“Nazareth is proud of our students’ academic commitment to the Fulbright program, and their success is again being rewarded as Nazareth is named a top producer of U.S. Fulbright students,” said Nazareth College President Daan Braveman.

Hobart and William Smith in Geneva has four Fulbright students, sharing 35th place on the list of top bachelor’s-degree schools with 13 others.

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