Morgan State Faculty Fulbright Awards Advance International Collaboration and Investigative Study

Dean Oscar Barton and Dr. Thurman Bridges Set Course for France and Senegal

BALTIMORE — Morgan State University continues expanding its roster of distinguished faculty engaged in international research and educational exchange through receiving prestigious Fulbright awards. The latest recipients are Oscar Barton, Jr., Ph.D., PE, F.ASME, professor and dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering, and Thurman L. Bridges, Ph.D., chair and associate professor in the School of Education and Urban Studies. Both have been awarded the Fulbright U.S. International Education Administrators (IEA) award, allowing them to pursue collaborative and investigative study in France and Senegal for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Awarded by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB), Morgan's IEA awardees are scheduled to embark on their study abroad intensive during the current 2025 spring semester. Comprising two weeks, the cohort of Fulbright awardees will participate in seminars to learn about peer countries’ higher education systems, exchange information on best practices, explore the potential for partnerships with institutions of higher education in the host country,

“At Morgan, we are committed to fostering academic excellence and global engagement. The Fulbright recognition of Dean Barton and Dr. Bridges reflects their dedication to shaping the future of higher education through collaboration, research, and innovation,” said Hongtao Yu, provost and senior vice president for the Division of Academic Affairs. “We are proud to support their international endeavors, which will bring valuable insights back to our campus and community.”

A first-time Fulbright award recipient and recent American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Edwin F. Church Medal awardee, Dr. Barton's collaborative study and liaising in mechanical engineering concepts, principles, and applied technologies with Fulbright fellows from around the world will be central to his inaugural IEA endeavor.

According to Dr. Barton, a longstanding ABET Academic Advisory Council member, this opportunity afforded to him through the Fulbright Award aligns with ABET's rich history of global engagement, supporting its mission of promoting and improving the quality of technical education worldwide.

“This being my first Fulbright, it is truly an honor,” said Dr. Barton. “To be selected as an IEA Fulbright Scholar embodies President David Wilson's vision of serving as a statesman for Morgan State on the world stage. Professionally, this recognition is a tremendous opportunity to represent engineering education globally and advocate for excellence in higher education alongside a community of international educators across two continents. Personally, it marks a significant milestone—my first visit to Senegal and a chance to experience its rich history and culture firsthand.”

Following the completion of his Fulbright Specialist award in Liberia in January 2025, Dr. Bridges is set to embark on his second Fulbright international engagement—this time in France and Senegal as a recipient of the Fulbright IEA award.

During his two-week intensive, Dr. Bridges will work alongside other educators to explore advanced strategies and best practices to optimize instructional effectiveness and foster deeper engagement with course content to drive superior learning outcomes, among other methodologies for increasing educational capacities. Through collaboration with fellow Fulbrighters, innovative approaches to classroom management, technology implementation, and student-centered methodologies that support academic success will be central to the immersive.

“My ambition is to not only collaborate with colleagues to enact streamlined study abroad experiences for prospective and in-service teachers but also to engage in collaborative research and professional development that showcase HBCUs as models for internationalization in higher education,” shared Dr. Bridges.

The Fulbright IEA Program offers a critical space for dialogue, reflection, and strategic action, empowering diverse educational leaders to cultivate dynamic learning environments that not only respond to contemporary challenges but also anticipate the future needs of higher education. 

Expounding on his upcoming Fulbright study in France and Senegal Dr. Bridges added, “Foregrounding the contextualized experiences of under-represented populations of faculty and students and establishing robust models to globalize teacher education at HBCUs underpins my motivation to participate in the Fulbright Program.”

Foundational to the IEA Fulbright experience in France and Senegal is its focus on higher education administrators and faculty from HBCUs. Curated and designed with their interests, pedagogy, and institutions in mind, the immersive program includes campus visits, cultural activities, and meetings with government and university leaders. Participants will gain insights into international education systems, enhance study abroad opportunities, and foster institutional collaborations with their respective disciplines. By engaging with global peers, Dean Barton and Dr. Bridges and their cohort of fellows will build capacity for international programs and advance cross-cultural exchange here at Morgan and with their partnering international institutions.

“I am particularly interested in the role of international organizations in shaping educational standards and fostering cross-border collaboration,” said Dr. Barton. “Honestly, pinpointing my ‘can hardly wait’ items is daunting, but I am most certainly looking forward to examining how governmental and non-governmental organizations in France and Senegal support engineering and technology education and workforce readiness.

Morgan has amassed one of the most prolific networks of Fulbright alums, cementing the public urban research university as a national leader in producing Fulbright scholars. Last fall, Morgan was named a Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader for the fifth consecutive year by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Morgan has produced 67 U.S. Student Awards, which ranks among the top of all HBCUs, in addition to receiving 33 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards, three Fulbright Specialist Awards, and eight Fulbright-Hays Awards.

For more information about Morgan’s Fulbright Program or to apply, contact Megan DeVirgilis, Ph.D., director of the Fulbright Program and associate professor of Spanish, at megan.devigilis@morgan.edu.

About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 academic degree and certificate 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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