The grant is the fulfillment of a longtime dream for one faculty member

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 22, 2012—Three U-M faculty from the Ann Arbor campus have been awarded U.S. Department of State Fulbright Scholar grants to lecture or conduct research abroad. For one faculty member, the award has been the fulfillment of a dream she has had since she was an undergraduate student.

“I had always wanted to apply for a Fulbright,” says E.J. Westlake, associate professor of theatre studies in U-M’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, “but as a student, I didn’t know where to go to find information on it.”

When she began planning her sabbatical, Westlake decided to see what other opportunities might be available through the Fulbright program. She soon found herself consulting with Fulbright advising staff at the U-M International Institute (II).

“The International Institute has done a great job getting the word out about the various opportunities available through the Fulbright program,” says Westlake. “Its staff was enormously helpful in providing information about the application process.”

Westlake is currently teaching American drama at the University of Bucharest in Romania. Her interest in the Bucharest arts scene was heightened by her friendship with Romanian puppet director Irina Nicolescu whom she met through the II’s Center for World Performance Studies.

The Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. These prestigious grants provide funding for recipients to lecture or conduct research abroad for periods of two to 12 months in 140 countries.

The deadline for the 2013-2014 Fulbright Scholar competition is Aug. 1, 2012. For further information, visit www.ii.umich.edu/funding/faculty.

The 2011-2012 U-M Fulbright Scholars, their home departments, the countries and universities where they are working, and their projects include:

Stuart A. Batterman, professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
School of Public Health, UM-Ann Arbor
Lecturing and research fellowship – University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; April 2012 - July 2012
“Linking Public Health, Energy and Sustainability”

Henry Greenspan, lecturer, Residential College
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, UM-Ann Arbor
Research fellowship – Concordia University, Montreal, Canada; January 2012 - April 2012
“Beyond Testimonies: Developing the Collaborative Model in Oral Histories With Genocide Survivors”

E.J. Westlake, associate professor, Department of Theatre and Drama
School of Music, Theater & Dance, UM-Ann Arbor
Lecturing fellowship – University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania; February 2012 - July 2012
Lecturing on American drama pedagogy

University of Michigan International Institute
The University of Michigan International Institute houses 18 centers and programs focused on world regions and global themes. The institute develops and supports international teaching, research, and public affairs programs to promote global understanding across the campus and to build connections with intellectuals and institutions worldwide. For more information, visit www.ii.umich.edu.

###