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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2006
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
MUW to host first Fulbright Scholar
COLUMBUS, Miss. – After two years of competition,
Mississippi University for Women prevailed over about 120
universities from around the world to be awarded its first
Fulbright Scholar. The visiting scholar will be on campus in
the fall.
The award was made through the Fulbright Program "Direct
Access to the Muslim World." The goal of the program is to
promote an understanding of Islamic civilization and the
history, politics and culture of today’s Muslim world by
people in the United States. The program also seeks to
strengthen resources for enriched understanding of relevant
issues.
Dr. Tom Velek, director of MUW’s International Series, said,
“The program was established after 9/11 to give universities
direct access to scholars from the Muslim world.”
A campus committee is reviewing vitae of four female
candidates, Velek added, noting two are from Pakistan, one
is from Morocco and the other is from Malaysia.
“For three out of four, it will be their first time to the
United States. Their first introduction to the United States
will be Columbus and MUW.” Velek said he was excited that
the visiting scholar would be a woman and thus add to the
institutional focus of MUW.
The scholar is expected to arrive on campus in October or
November. During the six-week period, she will teach an
honors seminar in her field of study, teach a unit of the
world relations course at the Mississippi School for
Mathematics and Science, act as scholar in residence in
MUW’s Honor’s residence hall and engage the Columbus
community through presentations. Individuals or community
groups who might be interested in having the scholar make a
presentation should contact Velek at
tvelek@muw.edu.
The visiting scholar also will make a significant
contribution to MUW’s annual International Series. The
yearlong series, which is in its third year, will focus on
the scholar's region. It consists of a lunchtime lecture
series, special events and an international film series. The
film series is made possible through a grant from the
Mississippi Humanities Council. All events are free and open
to the public.
Velek said the Fulbright award is evidence of MUW’s ongoing
commitment to international education.
“It also shows how competitive MUW is academically in
winning these prestigious awards.” |
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