Springfield College Prof. Joseph Wronka Named to Fulbright Specialists Roster
November 1, 2010SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 1, 2010 -- Prof. of Social Work Joseph Wronka, Ph.D., has been named a candidate for the Fulbright Specialists Roster in his major discipline of social work with specialties in poverty and social justice and other specialties in existential phenomenology, psychology and human rights.
As a roster candidate, Wronka is eligible to be matched with requests from overseas academic programs that require an expert in his field for short-term programming during the next five years. Roster candidates are reviewed by peers in the same discipline and by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB).
"On behalf of the School of Social Work, I congratulate our faculty member, Dr. Joseph Wronka, on his receipt of this honor,” said Francine Vecchiolla, dean of the school. “Fulbright programs build bridges of understanding between people of the United States and those of other countries. Through Dr. Wronka's participation, institutions around the world may now have access to his expertise. We wish him success."
The roster is a feature of the Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP), which promotes linkages between U.S. academics and professionals and their counterparts at overseas institutions with education-focused programming. FSP awards grants to U.S. faculty members and professionals in select disciplines to engage in short-term-collaborative projects at higher education institutions in more than 100 countries worldwide. Awardees are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential.
Fulbright Specialist Program projects focus on strengthening higher education institutions. Eligible activities include teacher training; short-term lecturing; conducting seminars, special conferences or workshops; and collaborating on curriculum planning and institutional or faculty development.
In a letter to Wronka, Ed Roslof, executive director of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), issued congratulations, also on behalf of the FSB and the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State (ECA). He cited Wronka’s interest in, and support of, international scholarly exchanges, which are “so vital to academic and professional communities around the world.”
Institutions outside the U.S. interested in hosting a Fulbright specialist submit project applications through the Fulbright Commissions or U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Sections in their home countries. Projects must be reviewed and approved by the ECA, the sponsor of the Fulbright programs.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Toward this goal, it has provided almost 300,000 participants, chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, with opportunities to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to solutions to international concerns. It currently operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.
