Five University of Colorado at Boulder students have been offered Fulbright scholarships to study overseas during the 2007-2008 academic year.
Mongolia, Iceland and Korea are among the countries where CU-Boulder students will be conducting research and teaching, according to Larry Bell, director of CU-Boulder聮s Office of International Education.
Students who receive the prestigious scholarships are chosen for their academic excellence and expertise, but also as ambassadors of the United States to the countries where they will travel. The valuable experience of studying overseas and learning about other cultures hasn聮t been lost on CU-Boulder students, who have shown a growing interest in studying abroad over the past few years, according to Bell.
聯Students are more aware than ever of the impact they can have as individuals overseas, as well as the increased opportunities that exist throughout the world for academic interchange,聰 Bell said.
Jessica Schutz, who will graduate with a bachelor聮s degree in marketing this summer from the Leeds School of Business, is traveling to Mongolia to study at the National University of Mongolia and work with the Ministry for Roads, Transportation and Tourism. She will spend 10 months beginning in January studying the effect tourism marketing has on local livelihoods, lands and economies in different areas in Mongolia.
聯Mongolia is becoming a very popular tourist destination, and tourism has become very important for the economy,聰 Schutz said. 聯But if tourism is going to be sustainable, there has to be conservation.聰
Schutz suspects that tourism and marketing practices impact Mongolia聮s cultural and natural heritage and the way in which conservation efforts mature. She wants to determine how and where marketing influences tourism development and the extent of the impact.
聯I believe tourism is the strongest tool to promote conservation if it is done properly,聰 Schutz said.
CU-Boulder students have been awarded 100 Fulbright scholarships since 1977.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government聮s largest program for international education exchange, offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. The U.S. Student Program is highly selective and currently awards approximately 1,200 grants annually in all fields of study, operating in more than 140 countries.
Students interested in learning more about Fulbright scholarships should contact CU-Boulder聮s Office of International Education at (303) 492-6016 or visit the Web site at . The deadline to apply for 2008-2009 Fulbright scholarships is Sept. 21, 2007.