Dr. Ahmad Ghashmari, a BC instructor who teaches international students English through the English Language Institute, was selected for the prestigious program.
More Information:
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recently recognized Bellevue College as one of 52 colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty or administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.
Dr. Ahmad Ghashmari, a BC instructor who teaches international students English through the English Language Institute, was selected for this prestigious program. He is currently abroad spending the 2023-24 academic year in the Middle East as he conducts research on climate justice and language education at the Jordan University of Science and Technology.
“This program offers a unique and rewarding opportunity for faculty members to engage in meaningful international exchange and collaboration, furthering their academic and professional goals while making significant contributions to the global community,” Ghashmari said. “It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an all-around incredible experience.”
Having worked at BC since 2017, Ghashmari said this Fulbright opportunity helps advance the college’s mission and goals. In just his five months there, he’s had the opportunity to engage in advanced research and academic exchange, establish valuable collaborations with other institutions and scholars, and further global initiatives that are in alignment with the college’s commitment to fostering international understanding and cooperation.
“By immersing myself in Jordan’s socio-cultural and environmental context, I aim to highlight how language education can empower students to confront climate change,” Ghashmari said about his research. “Additionally, collaborating with one of the region’s premier research universities presents an invaluable opportunity to advance my research objectives. Through this collaboration, I aspire to develop innovative strategies for integrating climate justice principles into language teaching curricula and pedagogy, thus contributing to both academic scholarship and practical solutions for addressing climate change.”
BC is among 17 associate degree-granting institutions that had U.S. Scholars this year. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds 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’s Top Producing Institutions represent the diversity of America’s higher education community,” Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, said. “Dedicated administrators support students and scholars at these institutions to fulfill their potential and rise to address tomorrow’s global challenges. We congratulate them, and all the Fulbrighters who are making an impact the world over.”
BC’s Dean of Curriculum and Assessment Dr. Rebecca Cory supports both incoming and outgoing Fulbright recipients. The college is currently hosting Masheka Zihindula from the Institut Superieur de Developpement Rural in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her discipline is gender studies and she came to the college through the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program.
In 2020-21, the college hosted Dr. Fabiola Moshi from the University of Doma in Tanzania, Africa. She conducted research on nursing and maternal health. And in 2017-18, the college hosted James Leonard Riggall from Bitlink in Tazmania, Australia. He conducted research on informational sciences/systems and was instrumental in helping set up BC’s XR Lab, a space that offers virtual reality tools and simulation technology for advanced learning.
Both Moshi and Riggall came to BC through the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program.
“I think the Fulbright Program is excellent,” Cory said. “I love the global reach that it has and just the ability to have these experts from around the world share their wisdom… Writing Fulbright applications is one of the most fun things to do because you get to imagine anything is possible.”
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
Last Updated February 15, 2024