U.S. Department of State Names Morgan State University Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader

MSU Remains First Among All HBCUs in Producing Fulbright Scholars, Earning Fourth Consecutive Leadership Designation from U.S. Dept. of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Baltimore — Morgan State University is proud to be named as a Fulbright Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Institutional Leader for 2023, marking the fourth consecutive year that the University has received the designation. Each year, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) recognizes the strong engagement of select HBCUs with the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship international academic exchange program.

“It is truly an honor to receive the continued designation as a Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader and be recognized for the great gains we have made in assisting our students to see the world while expanding their education,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University. “The Fulbright Program is an excellent vehicle for advancing study abroad and remains, to this day, one of the most distinguished and competitive awards granted in academia. Morgan is proud of the Fulbright awardees the University has produced both among our students and staff, and we look forward to building an even greater legacy as a provider of pathways to global opportunities.”

This past summer a Morgan administrator and a member of the faculty received Fulbright awards to study in France and Australia, respectively.

Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders demonstrate noteworthy support for Fulbright exchange participants and promote Fulbright program opportunities on campus.  The initiative encourages administrators, faculty and students at HBCUs to engage with Fulbright. It also highlights the strength of HBCUs as a destination for international students and scholars and showcases their deep intellectual traditions and proud history to audiences abroad.  

The announcement of the 19 Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders was made by the State Department ahead of the White House Initiative on HBCUs’ National HBCU Week Conference.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield commended the HBCUs receiving the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader designation this year. “Diversity is one of America’s greatest strengths, and pairing the positive power of Fulbright with the academic excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities provides changemaking opportunities for students, scholars, and campus communities both here at home and abroad.”

On November 6, Fulbright will host a virtual workshop featuring representatives from Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders. The Fulbright HBCU Virtual Workshop will share best practices for leveraging Fulbright Program engagement to support students and faculty, increase campus internationalization, host international Fulbright students and scholars, and build global networks. This event is open to the public and is specifically designed for faculty, staff, and stakeholders at HBCUs.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals, of all backgrounds and in all fields, the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges. Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.

The Fulbright Program implements a wide range of initiatives to ensure that its participants reflect all aspects of the diversity of U.S. society and societies abroad. To achieve that goal, the program collaborates with external stakeholders, including the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, the American Association of Community Colleges, Mobility International, and Diversity Abroad, among many others.

Learn more about the Fulbright Program at https://fulbrightprogram.org, including information about Fulbright’s efforts to further DEIA within the program and about the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders initiative.

The Fulbright Program at Morgan was instituted in 1951. Morgan leads all other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the number of its students who have become Fulbrighters. Receiving a Fulbright Scholarship, one of the most prestigious academic awards in the world, is an important achievement for the individual student, and Morgan's collective record is a unique mark of distinction for the University. As a result of the most recent Fulbright awards, Morgan State University has now received 150 Fulbright or Fulbright-related grants in 44 countries, top among all other HBCUs.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Media Contacts:

Larry Jones or Dell Jackson, for University PR
443-885-3022