The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named Ringling College of Art and Design a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Students. This recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
In spring 2022, one Ringling student and one alum were named as semi-finalists for the 2022-23 academic year. DeAnna Boyer ’22, Illustration, who was a senior at the time of her award, received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award enhanced with a Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship. The Fulbright competition is administered at Ringling College by a committee; advisors include Amy Pettengill, director of International Student Affairs and Dr. Genevieve Hill-Thomas, professor of art history and Fulbright program advisor.
Boyer’s Fulbright year is currently taking place at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland and the National University of Ireland Galway where she will matriculate into the joint MA program in art and ecology. Her Fulbright project will include the creation of an illustrated book that seeks to connect the current culture and environment of Ireland to the historical stories and legends preserved through Celtic history.
The Fulbright competition is administered at Ringling College by a committee of advisors including Dr. Genevieve Hill-Thomas, liberal arts professor of art history and Fulbright program head, and Amy Pettengill, director of International Student Affairs.
Ringling College’s Fulbright success is due in part to its exceptional Liberal Arts (LA) program and faculty. Students work with LA faculty on their Fulbright applications and credit the variety and strength of curricula as crucial preparation for the process.
“Dr. Hill-Thomas works endlessly with all of our Fulbright applicants,” said Liberal Arts Program Director Dr. Stephanie Seketa. “She is an outstanding example of the kind of global scholar Ringling students get to work with as part of their Liberal Arts courses. We strive to not only educate and prepare students for the kind of global experiences the Fulbright Program offers, but to inspire them to have the courage to apply.”
“Our students and staff have benefited over the years not only from the Fulbright program but also from the rigorous application process itself,” said Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College. “The Fulbright has served to foster significant international awareness among our domestic students, and we are pleased to have been acclaimed as a top producer of Fulbright scholars in the four-year special focus institution category.”
“On behalf of President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, congratulations to the colleges and universities recognized as 2022-23 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions, and to all the applicants who were selected for the Fulbright Program this year,” said Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of state for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
“Thanks to the visionary leadership of these institutions, administrators, and advisors, a new generation of Fulbrighters — changemakers, as I like to say — will catalyze lasting impact on their campus, in their communities, and around the world.”
Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. It is also among the largest and most diverse exchange programs in the world. Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 participants from all backgrounds and fields — including recent university graduates, teachers, scientists, researchers, artists, and others, from the United States and over 160 other countries — have participated in the Fulbright Program.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who carry forward the Fulbright mission of enhancing mutual understanding.
