How HBCUs work with the Fulbright Program to internationalize their campuses

UNCF member institutions share their stories of how hosting Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence, Outreach Lecturing Fund visiting lecturers, and Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants, help to internationalize their campus.

Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence Develop Innovative Courses and Relationships Beyond Campus

HBCUs that invite foreign scholars to teach on campus for one or two semesters benefit from the internationalization of their curriculum and opportunities for new study abroad and virtual exchange programs.

Huston-Tillotson University

Through the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence program, institutions can either name a scholar they would like to host, or ask the program to recruit a scholar with a specific discipline and qualifications. When Huston-Tillotson University (HTU), in Austin, Texas, wanted to add to their capacity to equip their students to address future technology challenges, they sought to host a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence to teach courses in computer science and engineering and develop the curriculum in those areas. Their proposal sought to invite Professor Manoj Kapil, the dean of engineering and technology at India’s Swami Vivekanand Subharti University and an expert in the fields of web technology, security and cryptography.

Steven Edmond, Dean and Professor in the Office of International Programs, said that he was seeking to host a highly skilled computer science professor who “would be a good ‘fit’ with HTU’s values of creativity and innovation and who understood the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” He said Dr. Kapil was his first choice, as “someone who could help HTU build upon its existing efforts at internationalizing its campus and preparing its students to work in a global economy.”

Dr. Kapil with his class at Huston-Tillotson University and with Professor Steven Edmond, Director of the Office of International Programs

According to Dr. Edmond, Kapil was instrumental in assisting with the design of a STEM MBA program at the university. HTU created a partnership with the Scholar’s university in India, through which Kapil and his colleagues are scheduled to teach virtual courses in the new program upon its launch in Spring 2025. They also created an Education Abroad partnership to send HTU’s MBA students to India in summer 2025 for the MBA Global Trip assignment. While in the United States, Kapil delivered lectures on cyber security and the ethics of hacking, mentored PhD students, and advised government departments on cyber-criminal cases. Kapil taught two undergraduate computer science courses  each semester while at HTU at their School of Business and Technology–Theoretical Foundations, Programming Foundations, Systems Analysis and Design, and Introduction to Web Programming.

Community engagement is an integral aspect of the S-I-R program, and HTU’s hosting had more than an academic impact. Kapil brought an international perspective to his service on the Study Abroad Committee and the school’s multicultural festival, hosting a “country table” and speaking with students about India as part of the university’s goal of introducing students to international opportunities. He also attended an Asian Chamber of Commerce meeting, to network with the broader Austin community.

The Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund and HBCUs: Short-Term Engagements, Long-Term Benefits

The Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund brings international scholars, already in the United States, to different campuses for two-to-five day visits with events such as guest lectures, student mentoring, film festivals, and even state fairs.

Xavier University of Louisiana

Through the Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund (OLF), institutions have the option to host a Fulbright Visiting Scholar who is already in the United States at a different institution for engaging two- to five-day programs of lectures, community-based events, and informational sessions. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, along with other MSIs, women’s colleges, rural institutions, and campuses that have not previously participated in the Fulbright Scholar Program receive special consideration in the application process. In this way, the Outreach Lecturing Fund develops new connections to the Fulbright Program, and introduces faculty, staff, and students to ways they can become Fulbrighters themselves.

The OLF award helped Xavier University of Louisiana support its high-priority academic areas, particularly their new African American and Diaspora Studies department. Professor Camille Dantzler invited Dr. Imani Tafari-Ama, a filmmaker and Fulbright Visiting Scholar from Jamaica, for a productive three-day visit. The new department arranged a screening of Tafari-Ama’s films to inform a dialogue on women’s history with an emphasis on Black women’s experiences.

Dr. Tafari-Ama was a visiting lecturer at Xavier University of Louisiana (Left photo: U.S. Embassy in Jamaica; right photo: Xavier University)

Another centerpiece of the visit was a campus-wide lecture on her curatorial project Rum, Sweat and Tears, about sale of the land and people of the Virgin Islands by Denmark to the United States of America. Students and faculty in the Departments of African American and Diaspora Studies, Performance Studies, Political Science, and Mass Communications at Xavier benefited from Dr. Tafari-Ama’s distinctive viewpoint on interdisciplinary scholarship in women and gender policy, documentary filmmaking, research, and the illumination of African Diasporic experiences.  

Professor Dantzler said that Tafari-Ama exemplifies the kind of dynamic scholarship as a curator, artist, and researcher that the department seeks to promote. She noted that hosting this renowned scholar on campus provided an invaluable opportunity to build the new department’s tradition of promoting international African and African Diaspora scholarship.

FLTAs Share Global Languages and Cultures in HBCU Classrooms and Communities

HBCUs welcome Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) as adding an energetic, authentic cultural component to foreign language classes, and enhancing student life. They host language tables, cooking sessions, cultural presentations and other co-curricular events, giving U.S. students the opportunity to work with native speakers in immersive, non-classroom settings. This interaction makes studying a foreign language more meaningful, and enables HBCUs, as well as other schools that engage FLTAs, to offer a robust set of languages from around the world and create cultural events for their wider communities

With more than 350 FLTAs teaching 35 languages at 165 higher education institutions in 2023-24, the host campuses represent the diversity of U.S. higher education. Fourteen of the institutions that hosted FLTAs were Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Jarvis Christian University

HBCU leaders like Jarvis Christian University President Glenell M. Lee-Pruitt recognize the impact that FLTAs make across the campus community.  JCU has welcomed Fulbright FLTAs from Taiwan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, and Egypt since 2021, consistently hosting three language assistants per academic year. “Our students have benefitted from taking language classes in Arabic, Mandarin and Swahili these past two years,” commented President Lee-Pruitt, adding, “Our alumni, faculty and staff enjoy engaging with the Fulbright Scholars to make their time a true cultural exchange.”

Bennett College

Bennett College, in Greensboro, North Carolina, has been named as a Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader each year since the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs inaugurated this recognition. The College hosts two Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) annually as part of its commitment to providing international language and cultural education to their students, whether they travel abroad or not. 

President Walsh says that “receiving the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader designation for the fifth year in a row is a testament to Bennett College’s commitment to supporting an environment of cultural exploration for our students and faculty, which ties into our strategic pillar of being Open To and For the Future. Having a class with a FLTA is ‘the first taste of the world’ for many of our students,” she said. “They bring cultural programming in addition to teaching languages.” Bennett students are encouraged to see “more of the world” because of classroom interactions with FLTAs, which has led to additional study abroad opportunities.

According to Dr. Anne Hayes, Executive Director of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Fulbright FLTAs teach foreign languages like Arabic, Yoruba, Zulu, and Swahili, and offer cultural programs for the whole college community. Hayes says the impact they make at Bennett is reciprocal, since FLTAs benefit from “mentoring and professional development …most of our recent FLTAs are now in PhD programs all over the world, reinforcing their dedication to global engagement.”

FLTA Soukaina Bakhout (far right) introduces Bennett College students to Moroccan culture.

Huston-Tillotson University

FLTAs can provide a critical bridge to new world regions for institutions, enhancing language offerings and study abroad opportunities for their students. Huston-Tillotson University has hosted Mandarin-speaking FLTAs for several years. Hosting FLTAs from Taiwan has enabled them to expand the course offerings beyond Elementary Chinese I and II, adding a third and fourth level to promote greater language proficiency. The FLTA program’s community outreach efforts have led to a relationship with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston.

Huston-Tillotson FLTA Shuo-An Hsiao teaching students how to make Chinese-style tea.

LeMoyne-Owen College

Dr. Lisa Lang, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee underlined the benefit of engaging with the Fulbright Program by welcoming FLTAs. 

“This is indeed a wonderful honor for not just LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) but the entire Memphis community.  It allows the college to offer a broader range of essential languages, such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, Kiswahili, and Chinese. These language courses help prepare our students for careers in a globalized world and expose them to diverse cultures and societies. By hosting foreign language teaching assistants, the college promotes cultural exchange. Students interact directly with native speakers, gaining not only language skills but also cultural insights. The program encourages academic collaboration between faculty members and scholars, organizations, and corporations worldwide, opening doors for partnerships, research opportunities, and international projects. It aligns with the institution’s mission of fostering global awareness by preparing students to be culturally competent and more engaged in a diverse world.  Faculty benefit from the chance to collaborate on research and educational projects, enhancing their academic portfolios and promoting international scholarly connections. The program enriches the broader Memphis community by increasing cultural diversity and awareness, enhancing the community’s global ties” said Dr. Lisa Lang, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

 Dr. Lisa Lang, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee welcome FLTAs to the campus community.