Western Named a 2015 Top Producer for Prestigious Fulbright Scholarships

Western Washington University was named a top national producer for Fulbright Scholarship winners in 2015, according to a just-released ranking from the Chronicle of Higher Education and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Western produced five Fulbright winners in 2015, placing it tied for second place among public masters-granting institutions nationally.

“We’re honored to again have more students receive Fulbrights than almost any other institution of our kind in the nation.  Western students are not just engaged in the classroom, they’re excited to put their ideas into practice outside of it as well, all over the world,” said Western’s President, Bruce Shepard. “It’s also a testament to the close mentoring relationships between students and faculty here at Western, and the paths that lead to extraordinary educational experiences.”

Western also finished second in the Pacific Northwest for all institutions, regardless of size, behind only the University of Washington, which had 10 winners.

“We’ve been named to this list for two of the last three years, which I think points to the incredible quality of Western’s students,” said Tom Moore, director of Western’s Fellowship Office. "And the wealth of knowledge and experience they will bring back to share with the world will be a benefit for all as well.”

The Fulbright Program is a prestigious international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.  Fulbrights have enabled nearly 300,000 participants to travel abroad to study, teach, conduct research and exchange ideas to foster understanding between Americans and people of other countries.

Western Fulbright winners for 2015, and their hometowns and destinations, are: Samuel Bliss, Mercer Island, Spain; Emily Brodie, Snoqualmie, Spain; Sadi Metz, Butte, Montana, Germany; Tobias Osterhaug, Edmonds, Taiwan; and Polly Woodbury, Tacoma, Thailand.

For more information, contact Tom Moore at Western’s Fellowships Office at (360) 650-4074 or go to http://www.wwu.edu/fellowships/about.shtml.