Fulbright Award for SUNY Maritime College Stephen B. Luce Library Director and Department Chair, Constantia Constantinou

Constantia Constantinou, State University of New York Maritime College Library Director and Department Chair, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research and lectures at the University of Cyprus, in Cyprus during the 2010-20111 academic year, according to the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. She has also been the recipient of the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. She is the first SUNY Fulbright Scholar Librarian since 1994. In 2004 she was also awarded the Fulbright Senior Specialist Award in the area of Librarianship. In 2008, SUNY Maritime College professor and alumnus Janis Schulmeisters, LL.B., Maritime professor of Global Business and Transportation’s (GBAT) professor of admiralty law, marine insurance, business and international law was a Fulbright scholar and studied in Latvia.

Ms. Constantinou will begin her research and lectures with the University of Cyprus in the areas of Library Technology, Digitization, and Information Literacy in January, 2011. She will return to SUNY Maritime College and her duties at the College’s Stephen B. Luce Library in June 2011. She is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2010-2011.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to funding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education and athletics. Forty Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize and 75 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes. Prominent Fulbright alumni include: Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director and Founder, Grameen Bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient John Atta Mills, President, of Ghana; Lee Evans, Olympic Gold Medalist; Ruth Simmons, President, Brown University; Riccardo Giacconi, Physicist and 2002 Nobel Laureate; Amar Gopal Bose, Chairman and Founder, Bose Corporation; Renee Fleming, soprano; Gish Jen, writer and Daniel Libeskind, Architect

Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than 60 years, the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs has funded and supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.