Florida State University recognized international and domestic participants of the Fulbright Program during a reception Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Longmire Building.
Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is one of the most widely recognized international academic exchange programs. It aims to increase mutual understanding and support friendly and peaceful relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The U.S. government currently partners with more than 160 countries worldwide.
FSU has participated in the Fulbright Program since 1951 and has been among the nation’s top producers of both faculty and student awards in recent years. The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recognized Florida State as a top-producing institution of U.S. Fulbright Scholars earlier this year.
For the 2025-2026 cycle, four current and former FSU students earned scholarships through the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program to conduct research in the U.K., Colombia, the Slovak Republic and Argentina. In addition, four FSU faculty members will travel to teach and conduct research abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in Ireland, Taiwan, Hungary and India.
On campus, 13 foreign students and scholars from places like Indonesia, Armenia and Uruguay are currently studying or conducting research at FSU through the Foreign Fulbright Program. Twelve students are here through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, and one researcher is here through the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program.
Steve McDowell, FSU’s assistant provost for International Initiatives, presided over the event. FSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs James Clark delivered welcoming remarks.
“We are proud that FSU has consistently been recognized as a top producer of both scholar and student Fulbright recipients,” Provost Clark said. “This recognition reflects our faculty’s commitment to international collaboration and the university’s investment in supporting global endeavors. Our Fulbright students and scholars, past and present, embody the values of scholarship, leadership, and global citizenship that define Florida State University.”
“Our Fulbright students and scholars, past and present, embody the values of scholarship, leadership, and global citizenship that define Florida State University.”
—James Clark, FSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Hanim Astuti, a Fulbright Foreign Student Program grantee from Indonesia pursuing a doctorate in FSU’s School of Information, shared her experience at the reception. Astuti began her studies in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe. For her first two semesters, she attended classes online from Indonesia, managing a 12-hour time difference with Tallahassee by shifting her schedule to join virtual sessions from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. each day.
Despite this challenging situation, Astuti arrived on FSU’s campus in January 2021 and is now nearing the completion of her Ph.D. program. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. at “one of the leading information schools” in the U.S.
“Fulbright has made it possible for people like me to dream beyond our circumstances,” Astuti said. “Thank you so much Florida State University for not only giving me knowledge, but also opportunities, memories, and a lifelong vision to give back.”
Ruby Lee, director of the Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing, the Bob Sasser Professor of Marketing, and director of Global Initiatives in the College of Business, also delivered remarks.
A two-time Fulbright alumnus, Lee was awarded the Fulbright-Hanken Distinguished Chair in Business and Economics at the Hanken School of Business in Finland 2016-2017. Then, during the 2023-2024 academic year, Lee traveled to the University of Prishtina in Kosovo through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. She shared some of what she learned through both experiences during her remarks.
“Finland taught me about trust and curiosity, Kosovo actually taught me about courage and belonging,” Lee said. “I realized that my role isn’t to build students’ information—it’s actually to help them discover their own curiosity, to give them space to think, to make mistakes, and to grow. Education is not about perfection; it’s actually about the progress.”
Serhiy Kvit, rector of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and former Ukrainian Minister of Education and Science, also spoke at the event. Kvit was visiting FSU as a guest lecturer and was invited to deliver remarks as a special guest. Also a two-time Fulbright alumnus, he was a grantee of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program at Ohio University in 2006-2007 and at Stanford University in 2017-2018.
“From the Ukrainian perspective, the Fulbright Program is just one feature of American leadership, and that leadership is especially important for us in this time of war,” he said.
Hayk Bejanyan, a doctoral student in the Askew School of Public Policy and Administration and Fulbright Foreign Student Program grantee from Armenia, also shared his experience at the reception. During his time at FSU, Bejanyan has helped foster a partnership between his alma mater, the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE), and the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and Learning Systems Institute at FSU.
The collaboration between FSU and ASUE aims to enhance entrepreneurship education and foster innovation and global connections through STEM and social entrepreneurship initiatives. Over the summer, Bejanyan and a group from FSU were on-site at ASUE to celebrate the grand opening of ASUE’s new STEM Social Innovators Incubator — a key component of the project that’s expected to become a launchpad for Armenian innovators and changemakers. Displayed on one of the walls is the FSU logo.
“You can imagine how proud it is for me to have this university logo in my home country and see that every time that I return back home,” Bejanyan said.
Bejanyan noted another accomplishment that’s taken place during his Fulbright experience — this past summer, he and his wife welcomed a daughter, which he called the “most distinguished achievement I can have during the Fulbright.”
“This journey happened because of the best university in the world for me, Florida State University,” he said. “And I believe that every Fulbright story is a success story.”
Bejanyan is also the vice president and treasurer of the Fulbright Students Association (FSA) at FSU, which aims to build a strong network of students who share the Fulbright experience. Interested students can fill out the membership form here.
If you are an undergraduate student or recent graduate interested in applying for a Fulbright, contact Bonnie Garcia-Gloeckner, associate director of the Office of National Fellowships, at bjgarcia@fsu.edu. If you are a graduate student interested in applying for a Fulbright, contact Keith McCall, assistant director of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, at kmccall2@fsu.edu. If you are a faculty member interested in applying for a Fulbright, contact Peggy Wright-Cleveland, director of Faculty Development in the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement, at mwrightc@fsu.edu.
To learn more about Fulbright at FSU, visit global.fsu.edu/fulbright-recipients.