Six LVC Students and Recent Alumni Named 2022–23 Fulbright Semi-Finalists

Today, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named Lebanon Valley College 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. Three students and alumni from Lebanon Valley College were selected for Fulbright awards for academic year 2022–2023. Fourteen LVC students and alumni were named Fulbright Finalists in the past seven years. For next year’s selection process, six current LVC student applicants are under consideration as semi-finalists.

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 have returned to their home countries to make an impact on their communities thanks to their expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country and its people, and a larger network of colleagues and friends.

“It is an honor for our students and alumni to be continually recognized by this Fulbright distinction,” said Dr. James M. MacLaren, LVC president. “It is a culmination of their academic dedication and excellence, and the commitment of our faculty, particularly Dr. Philip Benesch, director of external scholarships and fellowships.”

“On behalf of President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, congratulations to the colleges and universities recognized as 2022–2023 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.”

The Fulbright competition is administered at Lebanon Valley College by Dr. Philip Benesch, chair of social sciences, associate professor of politics, and director of external scholarships and fellowships. Dr. Benesch can be contacted at benesch@lvc.edu for students interested in applying to the Fulbright Program or any other national or international fellowships and scholarships.

About the Fulbright Program

The Fulbright Program was established over 75 years ago to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. While the primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, it benefits from additional support from foreign partner governments, non-governmental organizations, private organizations, corporate partnerships, and individual donors. Importantly, U.S. and foreign host institutions provide support as well.

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.

View more information about the Fulbright Program.