DENTON (UNT), Texas — The University of North Texas continues to spread its wings internationally as part of the Fulbright program, the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program.

UNT has been named a Fulbright Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Leader for the third year in a row. The designation from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs recognizes HSIs for demonstrating noteworthy support for Fulbright exchange participants and encourage administrators, faculty, and students at HSIs to engage with Fulbright on campus.  The Fulbright HSI Leaders Initiative also highlights the strength of HSIs as destinations for international students and scholars.

“At UNT, we are committed to fostering a globally engaged community where our students and faculty can make a meaningful impact across the world,” says UNT President Harrison Keller. “Earning the Fulbright HSI Leader designation for a third consecutive year underscores our dedication to expanding international collaborations and providing transformative experiences that connect our community with our global partners.”

The Fulbright program provides funding for faculty, staff and students to teach, study and conduct research or projects abroad. Student program recipients can be graduating seniors or recent graduates. A student must have their bachelor’s degrees by the time they start their Fulbright. Currently enrolled graduate students may also apply.

According to available data at UNT, this year’s selection is believed to be the largest combined group of faculty and student awards. Since 1960, there have been more than 100 UNT faculty and staff named as UNT Fulbright Scholars and Specialists. Since 1949, nearly 60 students have participated in the Fulbright Student program. 

The award winners for the 2024-2025 academic year include:

Fulbright Scholar Program

• Kathryne Beebe, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, is at the University of Innsbruck in Austria this fall conducting research and teaching two classes: the master’s level Introduction to Gendered Digital History and Pilgrimage Writing and the undergraduate-level Gender in Late-Medieval Europe and Beyond. Her research will be on a possible misclassification of fifteenth-century text used to undertake medieval imagined pilgrimages, a devotional activity where a person traveled on pilgrimage not in reality, but in the mind.
• George James, Professor Emeritus of philosophy and religion in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, is in the Indian state of Karnataka this fall studying the Appiko movement, a regional grassroots environmental movement. The word Appiko means “hug” and participants literally hugged trees to keep them from being cut down by forest workers. They then developed into a movement focused on the preservation of the environment and local villages. James will study the movement’s origins, concerns, development and achievements since their inception in 1983.
• Vladimir Shulaev, professor of biological sciences in the College of Science, will travel to three universities in Chile and the Cape Horn International Center in the spring. His project’s goal is to develop a framework for monitoring climate change impacts on the chemical composition of native plants in the subantarctic region. He also will teach a course on biological sciences research and grant writing at the universities he’ll be visiting: the University of Magallanes, the University of Talca and the University of Chile.
• Elyse Zavar, emergency management and disaster science associate professor in the College of Health and Public Service, will travel to Australia in the first half of 2025. She will work with two professors from the University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of New England to study Australia’s buyout program. The program is specifically for residents who must relocate for climate adaptation. Zavar will examine previous buyout programs and how intergenerational memories of past relocations can normalize future relocations.

Fulbright Specialist Program

• James Thurman, a studio art professor in the College of Visual Arts and Design, went to England in February 2024. He worked at the Birmingham City University School of Jewellery conducting workshops on the incorporation of his self-developed material into jewelry designs. The material, named ThurmaniteÒ, is eco-friendly and made of recycled paper bonded together with plant-based resin.

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad to Colombia

• Faculty members Kimi King, Xiaohua Li and Sarah Moore participated in a four-week seminar in Colombia. The host country of the seminar changes every year and this year’s topic was on climate change and sustainability in Colombia. King, Li and Moore were three of 16 chosen participants for this year, and UNT was the only institution to have more than one faculty member selected. King is a political science professor. Li is an associate professor in mechanical engineering. Moore is a social work associate professor in the College of Health and Public Service.

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Aboard to Norway Extension

• Cindy Denmark and Sarah Moore were offered the opportunity to apply to returned to Norway after attending the first seminar there in 2022. Both were offered the opportunity to apply for follow-up projects of their own choosing. Denmark, a principal lecturer with in the Teach North Texas program, went back in January 2024 to attend the Arctic Frontiers conference and observe the Norwegian school system. Moore an associate professor in Social Work, will return in 2025 to set up collaboration projects with faculty at the University of Oslo.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

• Stephanie Chavez will work to complete her master’s in nonprofit management and leadership in Israel. She’ll be studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and volunteering with local nonprofits. She’s looking forward to being immersed in a new culture and language.
• Ricardo Estrada will teach English at an elementary school in Berlin. He graduated in winter 2023 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in new media. He looks forward to traveling and connecting with other artists in his cohort.
• Javier Garcia Vasquez will be going to Taiwan as an English teaching assistant.
• Michael Lewis, who graduated with a bachelor’s in biology in 2022, is in Mexico for the 2024-2025 school year working as a Fulbright García-Robles English Language Teaching Assistant. He’s teaching university engineering students in the Yucatán. As a Latino American, he hopes the experience will help improve his Spanish as he works to become a physician to serve the Dallas-Fort Worth Latino community.
• Charlotte MacDonald, who graduated in the spring with a master’s of music in clarinet performance, will be researching the clarinet culture of Poland alongside renowned clarinetist Barbara Borowicz. She’ll also perform archival research of 20th century Polish female composers. One thing she’s excited about is learning how to cook traditional Polish dishes.
• Matthew Nguyen, who graduated in spring 2024, will be teaching English at a high school in Dak Nong, Vietnam. As a second-language English speaker, he hopes to bring a unique perspective to the classroom — one grounded in empathy and understanding for his students.

UNT’s Global Engagement Office hosts Fulbright Faculty Workshops while UNT students can learn more during virtual sessions on Fulbright Fridays.

UNT faculty and students who are interested in applying for any Fulbright awards should email fulbright@unt.edu.