SHERMAN, TEXAS — Jacqueline Moore, professor of history at Austin College, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) during the 2010-2011 academic year, according to the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Moore will teach courses in American history and advise on curriculum revision as Hong Kong universities prepare to change from the British to the American-style curriculum.

She is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2010-2011. Austin College faculty Kevin Simmons, associate professor of political science, and Ivette Vargas-O’Bryan, associate professor of religious studies, received Fulbright Scholar awards in 2009 and have spent the past year abroad—Simmons in Norway and Vargas-O’Bryan in China. Patrick Duffey, Austin College dean of Humanities and campus Fulbright coordinator, is pleased to see the Austin College faculty excel. “Our faculty, like our students, are committed to the idea that international study is a life-changing experience,” he said. “Since many of our faculty are leading scholars in their disciplines, they are able to serve as excellent ambassadors not only of Austin College and the United States, but also of the values that our institution holds most dear: critical thinking, creative problem-solving for the real world, and service to others.” 

The Hong Kong assignment will be Moore’s fourth trip to the city. She became interested in Asia as a college student, perhaps, she said, because it seemed “exotic and different at the time.” She since has made several trips to Asia and that initial interest has only grown, though today the continent and its culture seems “less exotic and different, but still fascinating.” 

In graduate school Moore took two years of Mandarin Chinese, minored in Chinese history, and studied Japanese history. At Austin College, she connected with other faculty interested in Asia and was appointed director of Asian Studies at the College. She led the program until 2007 and saw the appointment of additional faculty with Asian interest and expertise and the development of an Asian Studies minor, then a major. The program, and Moore’s involvement, continue to develop. 

In addition to the benefit of spending a year immersed in Asian culture, Moore has goals for the experience. “My hope for this experience is that it will give me new ideas for how to teach my own U.S. history classes at home, as well as new understanding of student learning processes,” Moore said. “The language and cultural differences, along with the fact that they have not had American history at HKBU for over a decade, present unique challenges and will force me to think about the best and most synthetic ways to reach students there. I think that the experience also will give me new insight into teaching Asian history at Austin College when I return. I always have found that looking at a different culture gives you fresh perspectives on your own. I also look forward to finding the common interests between us and eating some really good rice noodles!”

The Fulbright Program 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 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, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education, and athletics. Forty Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and 75 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes. Prominent Fulbright alumni include: Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director and Founder, Grameen Bank, and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient; John Atta Mills, President of Ghana; Lee Evans, Olympic Gold Medalist; Ruth Simmons, President, Brown University; Riccardo Giacconi, Physicist and 2002 Nobel Laureate; Amar Gopal Bose, Chairman and Founder, Bose Corporation; Renee Fleming, soprano; Gish Jen, Writer; and Daniel Libeskind, Architect.

Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than sixty years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has funded and supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, see the website at http://fulbright.state.gov or e-mail fulbright@state.gov.

Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges that Change Lives.