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Fulbright U.S. Student Program

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Pacifica Among “Top Producing Institutions” of Fulbright U.S. Students

Pacifica is honored to be included in the Fulbright Program “Top Producing Institutions” of Fulbright U.S. Students, as announced in The Chronicle of Higher Education on February 27, 2022. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken congratulated Pacifica, saying, “This achievement is a testament to your institution’s deep commitment to international exchange and to building lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”

So what are the Fulbright Awards and why are they significant? Our former Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Peter M. Rojcewicz, explains, “The Fulbright Student Program is a network of some 140 nations dedicated to trans-national exchange that seeks advancement of cultural competency through academic and professional pursuit of graduate degrees, fieldwork, research, and teaching abroad. Fulbright students live with and learn from different peoples of the world, sharing daily tasks through direct interactions in classrooms, community sites, and homes of their hosts. They slowly grasp the standards various peoples use to perceive, predict, judge, and act upon their values. Learning through cultural dialog often triggers shifts in students’ world views from egocentric and ethnocentric to world-centric perspectives of planetary people.” It is also worth noting that many alumni of the program have gone on to become winners of the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize, as well as serving as heads of state.

Dr. Mary Watkins, a former Co-Chair of our CLIE program, has been instrumental in launching the Fulbright program at Pacifica. She was approached in 2015 by a student who wanted to apply, and as she says, “I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for Pacifica students. After researching the program, I was able to attend several orientations in Washington, D.C., and was able to get it off the ground at Pacifica in 2016.” Dr. Nuria Ciofalo, also on our CLIE faculty, has continued these efforts and was thanked by Secretary of State Blinken for her efforts in supporting the Fulbright U.S. Student Program at Pacifica.

Pacifica’s Madalina Bortes, in the Ph.D. in Depth Psychology program, was a semi-finalist for the Fulbright in 2021 for her research on “The Psychosomatic Experience of Communism in România.” And Heesun Kim, a bright presence in our Ph.D. program for Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices, recently won acceptance into the Fulbright program for her project, “Jeju Shamanism: Healing Intergenerational Trauma through Collective Mourning.” As Heesun describes her project, “The research will be an ethnographic study and I plan to stay in Jeju Island for one year and do fieldwork, filming shamanic rituals, and conducting interviews with shamans, massacre survivors, and victims’ families. One of the proposals in the Fulbright grant is creating a Grieving Tree event with the local shamans, community members, and non-profit organizations. I am also thinking about making an animation production related to the Jeju 4.3 massacre based on interviews and active imagination, hopefully collaborating with the local Jeju artists.”

Pacifica intends to continue nurturing the Fulbright program at Pacifica, because, as former Provost Peter M. Rojcewicz, notes, “Fulbright programs align with Pacifica’s recognition of the imagination at the center of all learning and together may lead to a new and sustained enchantment of the world.” In particular, he says, “A special Fulbright initiative with resonance with Pacifica’s timely mission of tending to soul in and of the world is The Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship. It provides students opportunities to participate in an academic year of digital storytelling on globally significant themes. Students who pursue graduate degrees at Pacifica or Pacifica students who study abroad can share original stories of human possibility and repair of the ongoing splitting of human and planetary integrity.”

Fulbright is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is open to students who have earned a Bachelor’s degree but have not yet earned a doctorate. Applicants must be citizens or nationals of the United States at the time of application; permanent residents are not eligible. (See the website for more information on eligibility.)

See below for important information about the application process through Pacifica Graduate Institute.

2025-26 AWARD CYCLE APPLICATION TIMELINE & IMPORTANT DATES

“During Office Hours, applicants will have the opportunity to ask questions live to IIE staff. IIE welcomes any applicant questions regarding the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in these sessions. Come with your own questions or tune in to listen to the questions of your fellow applicants.

IIE administers the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

APPLICATION PROCESS

Depending on the type of award being applied for and the status of the applicant, there are different application processes and resources. However, ALL applicants should do the following:

  • Students should review the relevant information on the Fulbright website carefully, including information about application components and the country profile page
  • Students are strongly encouraged to begin their applications early, as it can be time-consuming to secure all of the necessary components and compose a strong application.
  • All inquiries should be addressed to the Dr. Evergreen Hericks, Fulbright advisor. Please email ehericks@pacifica.edu for more information.

For Current Graduate Students

  • Graduate students may arrange individual advising appointments with their Program Advisor or Chair and the FPA to review their application essays, or even prior to deciding to apply.
  • Graduate student applicants must submit a complete application, including all letters of recommendation and letter of affiliation, via the online campus Fulbright application portal by the campus deadline of Wednesday, August 14, 2024 (note: it is the responsibility of the applicant to communicate the importance of this deadline to all of their letter writers)
  • Graduate student applicants must participate in the campus interview process, which is tentatively scheduled for August 26-30 (students will be notified of the exact date and time of their interview slot after the campus deadline)
  • The purpose of the campus deadline and campus interview process is two-fold: to allow the applicant to get in-depth feedback on their application to ensure it is in line with the goals of the Fulbright program, and to ensure that the campus review committee (comprised of staff the FPA, Program Advisor or Chair, and the Provost) has the necessary information to submit the mandatory Campus Committee Endorsement form to be reviewed by the National Screening Committee.
  • Graduate student applicants for 2025-2026 must submit a complete application, including all letters of recommendation and letter of affiliation, via the online campus Fulbright application portal by the Fulbright deadline of October 8, 2024 (note: it is the responsibility of the applicant to communicate the importance of this deadline to all of their letter writers)

For Undergraduates, Recent Alumni, and ETA Applicants

  • Current undergraduates, recent alumni, and applicants to the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) programs are NOT required to submit materials by the campus deadline and do not participate in the campus interview process.
  • All inquiries should be addressed to the Dr. Evergreen Hericks, Fulbright advisor. Please email ehericks@pacifica.edu for more information.

If you have any questions about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, please contact the Admissions Department at admissions@pacifica.edu or 805-969-3626 ext: 305.