The Fulbright Association has 55 local chapters in 39 states across the U.S. that are led and managed by volunteer alumni who reside in the area. Chapters provide Fulbright alumni and visiting Fulbrighters with diverse opportunities for networking, professional development, mentoring, cultural enrichment, and community service. The Chapter of the Month series allows the Fulbright community to recognize the great work that these chapters are doing.
This month, we are highlighting the Community Colleges Chapter!
Answers provided by members of the Community Colleges Chapter Board of Directors.
Your chapter has been doing great work! Can you share what’s been going on?
We were formed in January 2024, so we are a very new chapter! Our members are Fulbright awardees from U.S. community colleges and those interested in community college work. Community colleges enroll 40% of U.S. undergraduates and are “democracy’s colleges!” We are a totally virtual chapter. Our members come from across the U.S. Our first event was in June (“From a Two-Year College to a Lifetime of Learning: What Fulbright Means to Me” hosted by Stephanie Hallock of Harford Community College and featuring Selina LeMay-Klippel of North Country Community College, Tabitha Morgan of the Community College of Philadelphia, and Vincent L. Briley of Montgomery College). We held a roundtable (“Community Colleges + Fulbright = Global Access and Equity in Higher Education” hosted by Stephanie Hallock of Harford Community College and Selina LeMay-Klippel of North Country Community College) at the October conference in DC. In the past, Fulbright opportunities at the community college level have not been emphasized. Our goal is to raise awareness of the Fulbright experience and international education in community colleges. After Fulbright awards were made last year, we sent out congratulatory emails to all new community college award winners.
Who are some stand out members of the chapter? How do they contribute to the Community Colleges alumni community?
All our board members have been leaders in their community colleges! We are a chapter of not only faculty, but of college leadership including deans and chairs. One board member – Reza Jafari – is the chair of the board of trustees at Chesapeake College, and we have a community college president – Deb Casey, Wor-Wic Community College – as a member. Many of our members continue to work with the countries where they experienced their Fulbright. And our board members are continuously advocating for Fulbright through conference presentations and outreach! We want to make the Fulbright experience available to all, and bring the Fulbright message to every corner of the U.S. Vincent Briley of Montgomery College presented at the AFACCT conference (Maryland community colleges) in January. David J. Smith, chapter president, has been interviewed by and published in media such as Community College Daily, Inside Higher Education and the Chronicle of Higher Education (with Laurie Wolfe).
What advice would you give to other chapters?
Be creative. It can be difficult to find times to meet and share resources. Take advantage of virtual platforms and meet-ups at different conferences. A virtual chapter provides an opportunity for geographically diverse voices to work together for an important cause such as Fulbright.
Do you have any upcoming programming for members to participate in?
We send out a quarterly newsletter of our events. We will be holding an event soon on cultural exchanges, poetry and a board member’s experiences in Canada (Toni Holland of Houston Community College) that we needed to reschedule from earlier this month. We will have another event soon looking at a board member’s (Laurie Wolfe of Anoka – Ramsey Community College in Uzbekistan. We also have a “spotlight” feature on our website where we will monthly feature a Fulbrighter from a community college. We also have resources for community college faculty considering a Fulbright on our website. If you are interested in participating in the spotlight or joining our mailing list, email us at: communitycolleges@fulbright.org. Our website is here.