People of SU

New High-water Mark

Written by Mike Thee

April 27, 2016

Students studying on the grass outside Lemieux Library

A record number of SU students receive Fulbrights for 2016-2017.

"Six SU students" has a nice alliterative ring to it. It gets even nicer when you finish the sentence with "have received Fulbright awards for 2016-2017." 

Yes, this is a big deal-six is the most Fulbright student recipients SU has ever had in one year. The previous high-water mark was five. 

So who are these academic dynamos? Here they are and where they'll be going: 

  • Stuart Haruyama, History, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA), Turkey 
  • Lara Gooding, International Studies , Fulbright ETA, Rwanda 
  • Helen Packer, Humanities/English, Fulbright ETA, South Korea 
  • Jennifer Cruz, Psychology, Fulbright Research Grant, India 
  • Meme Garcia-Cosgrove, Theatre, Fulbright Study Grant, United Kingdom 
  • Hannah Nia, Environmental Studies , Fulbright ETA, Colombia 

The news was particularly well-received by Luke Green, director of the Office of Fellowships, and Serena Cosgrove, faculty representative for the Fulbright Program. 

"I am continually surprised and impressed by the skills, talents and expertise of our students and alumni," said Green. "It is an honor to be part of the network of faculty and staff that support them during their academic and professional journey."  "I am so inspired by our great students: their success is such a strong motivator to keep up the mentoring," said Cosgrove.

Seattle University consistently ranks as a top producer of Fulbright student and faculty awardees among master's institutions nationally. For 2015-2016, SU tied for eighth place with five other schools in the master's institutions category for student recipients. 

This is the fourth year in a row, and seventh time, Seattle U has ranked as a "top producer" of either student or faculty Fulbright awardees. With the newest six accounted for, a total of 46 Seattle U students have earned Fulbrights since the 1994-95 academic year. 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 1,900 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs.