Faculty Spotlight: Two MCOB faculty members granted Fulbright fellowships

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Posted on May 1, 2023 by MCOB Outreach

MCOB Outreach

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The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have awarded Dr. Ermanno Affuso and Dr. Christina Wassenaar Fulbright fellowships.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program, with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural relationships. It is considered to be one of the most widely recognized, prestigious scholarships in the world.

This is the first time in the 60-year history of the University of South Alabama that two faculty members from the same college have been awarded a Fulbright award in the same year.

 

Ermanno Affuso

Dr. Affuso will be working in the Slovak Republic at the Technical University of Kosice to study climate change and sustainability in the European Union.

“My field of research is very timely because of all the research on climate change that’s currently going on. There’s no substitute for good ideas,” said Affuso. “I’m honored to have received this fellowship because it’s really hard to get. When I received my first Fulbright Specialist award, I was competing not only with academics but with politicians, journalists, entrepreneurs, and civilians,” he said.

This is the second Fulbright award for Dr. Affuso. He was previously granted the Specialist award to train Doctoral Students and Faculty in Advanced Econometrics at the same university in Slovakia. His new Scholar award will focus on research to examine the interrelationship between climate change, conflicts, and the price of food and energy in Europe.

 

Dr. Christina Wassenaar

Dr. Wassenaar will be working in the Republic of North Macedonia at the Saints Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje to study peace creation.

"I’m so happy to have received this award," said Wassenaar. "It is an honor to be working with the people at the university in Skopje, as well as to have the opportunity to learn more about what is happening in that part of the world; there is a lot happening in some really forward-thinking industries, and to have the chance to know more about them as it relates to how they lead is exciting! I can’t wait to get started," she said.

"My project will include helping the university and their business school with accreditation evaluation as they hope to ascend to AACSB accreditation in the near future. I'll work with graduate and doctoral students, providing research coaching," she said. "I’ll also be doing a qualitative research study, incorporating interviews with government and business leaders on topics related to shared leadership, corruption, and responsibility."

 

Read more about Dr. Affuso and Dr. Wassenaar in the next edition of the Mitchell Magazine, due out in Fall 2023.

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