Fulbright Association Honors Dr. Mary Ellen Heian Schmider with Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award
Washington, D.C. — September 18, 2025 — The Fulbright Association proudly announces that Dr. Mary Ellen Heian Schmider has been selected as the recipient of its 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing more than five decades of leadership in education, international exchange, and dedicated service to the Fulbright Association and community.
A two-time Fulbright Senior Scholar (China, 1997; Macedonia, 2005), Dr. Schmider has lived a life exemplary of cross-cultural friendship and empowerment through education. She has taught and lectured across Asia, Europe, and the Balkans, and reached U.S. military communities in Germany and Turkey through the University of Maryland Global Campus. Her teaching and scholarship—especially her work on Jane Addams—have inspired students to connect education with civic responsibility and global understanding.
As Graduate Dean Emerita at Minnesota State University Moorhead, she was instrumental in launching programs in Women’s Studies, Public Administration, Liberal Arts, and the University’s Writing Center. Within the Fulbright Association, she has twice served as Interim Executive Director, was elected Board President, and chaired the International Committees for the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding—presenting the Prize to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2019 and leading the 2022 award to Bono. She also created the Outstanding Chapter Awards and built international partnerships for Fulbright Service and Insight Travel Programs.
In 2019, during Women’s History Month, the Association honored Dr. Schmider for her scholarship in History and Women’s Studies, and UMGC recognized her with a Certificate of Appreciation following her lecture “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace and Nonviolence.” In 2024, she was also honored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the DAAD Alumni Association USA, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for International Exchange in New York.
Beyond Fulbright, Dr. Schmider has served as president of the Minnesota Humanities Commission, vice president of the Lutheran Church in America’s Board for Higher Education, and a corporate board member of Thrivent Financial.
“For decades, Dr. Schmider has embodied the mission of Fulbright—bringing people together across borders, championing education as a pathway to peace, and ensuring that the alumni community remains strong and engaged,” said Dr. Walter McCollum, President and Chair, Fulbright Association National Board of Directors. “We are honored to recognize her with the Lifetime Achievement Award as a tribute to her remarkable legacy of leadership and service.”
The Fulbright Association will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Schmider at its upcoming Fulbright Association Annual Conference in Miami, Florida on October 24th, 2025.
About the Fulbright Association
The Fulbright Association is the U.S. alumni organization of the Fulbright Program, representing thousands of alumni across the nation. Through advocacy, chapter engagement, and global partnerships, the Association advances Senator Fulbright’s vision of international understanding and mutual respect.
Media Contact:
Shaz Akram
Fulbright Association
Phone: 202-775-0725
Email: development@fulbright.org