The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recognized Willamette University as one of the colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty and administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. As a Fulbright Top Producing Institution, Willamette creates opportunities for faculty and administrators to lead on issues of international concern and turn knowledge into action across the globe.
Two Willamette faculty members were awarded Fulbright U.S. Scholar grants for the 2024-2025 academic year. The university was the only institution in Oregon and one of just three in the Pacific Northwest to earn the recognition of Top Producing Institution of U.S. Scholars.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international academic exchange program. Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals who teach or conduct research in affiliation with institutes abroad.
“My Fulbright experiences have changed the way that I think about creative development, they’ve improved the quality of my teaching, and they’ve provided me with the space and time to make artwork,” said Kate Copeland, Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassador and Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Printmaking and Photography at Willamette’s Pacific Northwest College of Art. “Thanks to the faculty and students I met in India and Belgium on my Fulbright grants, I bring more criticality and global perspective to the pedagogical practices we use.”
Willamette also has a long record of preparing students to successfully complete Fulbright Grants, with 55 Willamette students and alumni receiving the honor since 1959. Grantees have worked in dozens of countries teaching English and studying diverse fields from International Studies, to Biology and Public Administration.
