At the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) annual conference held on Oct. 27, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) recognized Sonoma State as a Fulbright HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) Leader. 

Institutions that have demonstrated an exceptional amount of engagement with the Fulbright Program and have promoted Fulbright Program opportunities on campus during the 2019-2021 academic years were named a Fulbright HSI Leader. This is the inaugural year of this designation and was awarded to only 35 out of the 569 HSIs across the country, making this a prestigious honor. This new initiative is part of the U.S. State Department’s long-standing commitment to building diversity and inclusion not only in the Fulbright Program but within all of the ECA’s international exchange programs. 

German professor and MLL (Modern Languages and Literatures) Acting Department Chair, Dr. Michaela Grobbel said, “Congratulations to SSU! I am proud that our Department of Modern Languages and Literatures has been an integral part of International Education at SSU by providing the necessary linguistic and cultural skills for students interested in Spanish, French, and German-speaking countries.” 

Fulbright is an academic cultural exchange program where graduate students, scholars and professionals get the opportunity to study, pursue research and professional projects or teach a language for an academic year in a foreign country. Fulbright was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by U.S. Senator, J. William Fulbright, as a way to increase mutual understanding and to help foster relationships between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. 

At the conference, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs Ethan Rosenzweig took a moment to congratulate and thank the leadership of the designated institutions for recognizing the impact of the Fulbright program. 

“To our Fulbright program advisors and all of the faculty, administrators and staff on the frontlines who advise, support and recruit future Fulbrighters, you are our heroes. Your work optimizes the values of why we all come to our jobs each and everyday-to ensure that our students have every opportunity to excel beyond goals that they may have never believed were ever obtainable,” said Rosenzweig. 

The program promotes cultural exchange through one-on-one interaction in the classroom, in the field, at home, and in daily activities which help participants gain a better understanding of other people’s perspectives and ways of life. Fulbright is currently active in more than 160 countries with Sonoma State hosting two Fulbright students and one Fulbright foreign language teaching assistant (FLTA) who are all from Germany. 

SSU is currently the only University in all of California that has an active Fulbright FLTA Program with Germany. The university has had a FLTA  on campus every year since 2010 which is the first year that SSU implemented the program. This year, Sonoma State welcomed Yasemin Schünemann who is from Nördlingen, Germany. Schünemann is currently completing her Masters of Education in German and English at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. 

“Assisting Dr. Grobbel during the German language courses, as well as teaching advanced classes has improved my role as a future teacher and given me the courage to be creative during lessons and for future lessons,” said Schünemann. She also encourages students to look into the Fulbright program and Fulbright FLTA positions as it is “a great opportunity for sharing your culture and language with others while teaching and trying out new things” and also allows one to learn more about themselves. 

The beginning of International Education Week starts Nov. 15 where students will be able to explore international programs and learn about the benefits of international education. Schünemann will be hosting two Zoom events; one that addresses the immigration of Turkish guest workers in Germany and another addressing the question, “What does it mean to be German?” where the Fulbright students will share their experiences growing up in Germany.  These events will take place Nov. 17 from 11-12:00 noon and on Nov. 19 from 10-10:50 a.m. 

To apply for a Fulbright Scholarship, students must apply through Sonoma State University’s Global Engagement Office. The SSU Fulbright program advisor, Hope Ortiz, will then evaluate the application and conduct an interview prior to submitting the final application.