Albany State University named Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader by the U.S. Department of State
ALBANY, Ga. – Albany State University (ASU) is proud to be named as a Fulbright Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Institutional Leader for 2025. Each year, this initiative recognizes HBCUs with exceptional engagement in the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program.
Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders demonstrate noteworthy support for Fulbright exchange participants and encourage administrators, faculty, and students at HBCUs to engage with Fulbright on campus. The initiative highlights HBCU alumni and faculty excellence and promotes HBCUs as destinations for international students and scholars.
Nneka Nora Osakwe, Fulbright Scholar Liaison and Executive Director of the Center for Transformational Student Experiences, added, “The Fulbright Program is a core initiative that helps ASU advance curriculum internationalization. Faculty members gain from professional development that allows them to integrate intercultural and international learning into courses, enriching students’ global perspectives.” Dr. Osakwe herself is a two-time Fulbright award recipient, having participated in programs in Singapore, Malaysia, France, and Senegal. She has led numerous workshops to encourage applications from faculty, staff, and students. In 2023, ASU received a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Award following her leadership.
ASU faculty and administrators have benefited greatly from Fulbright participation, directly impacting student learning:
- Dr. Akella Devi, College of Business, Education & Professional Studies, received a Fulbright Specialist Award to BirZeit University, West Bank, Palestine.
- Dr. Anthony Owusu-Ansah, College of Business, Education & Professional Studies, received a Fulbright Specialist Award to Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia.
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Dr. Nneka Nora Osakwe, College of Arts and Sciences, received a Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) award to France and Senegal, and previously received a Fulbright-Hays award to Singapore and Malaysia.
These experiences, combined with ASU’s internationalization initiatives, have led to the inclusion of global and intercultural learning in more than 130 courses. ASU faculty have two special issue publications featuring their course internationalization process, the 2017 and 2022 Volumes of International Research and Review Journal of Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. In 2023, ASU was one of only three U.S. institutions to receive the prestigious NAFSA Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for its achievements in curriculum internationalization.
Additionally, ASU hosted Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Ngozi Udengwu from the University of Nigeria-Nsukka, who enriched the campus and community by integrating African cultural and theatrical traditions into coursework and events. Students engaged in learning experiences ranging from African marriage systems to culinary traditions like Jollof rice, as well as crafting waist and wrist beads. Dr. Udengwu also represented ASU as a guest speaker at Spelman College and Elizabeth City State University during International Education Week.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Since its inception in 1946, the program has provided nearly 450,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals with 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 and additional support from participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations worldwide.
Learn more about the Fulbright Program at https://fulbrightprogram.org, including how HBCUs engage with the Fulbright Program.
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