Lone Star College named Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars for 2022-2023

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The United States Department of State has recognized Lone Star College as one of the top 25 colleges and universities that produced Fulbright Scholars for 2022-2023.

“We are very proud of this noteworthy accomplishment,” said Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., LSC Chancellor. “The Fulbright Scholar Program is considered the most prestigious educational exchange program providing instructors the opportunity to continue their education and professional development through research and study in a foreign country.”

Taking it a step further, Fulbright named LSC as the only institution in the Associate/Baccalaureate category to receive two grants. This achievement underscores LSC’s commitment to hiring expert-level staff and faculty to train future generations entering an increasingly competitive workforce.

“Our faculty and staff are the most important resources at Lone Star College,” Head said. “We hire people who believe in our mission, care about students and have a passion for improving our communities through education,” said Head.

LSC serves as the host college for Community College for International Development (CCID), which co-sponsors Fulbright Program webinars with the LSC Office of Honors and International Education. This opportunity allows LSC faculty and staff to learn about these programs and how to apply successfully.

“As part of our work with Community College for International Development, we are currently planning spring webinars, as well as working with the Department of Education to better support additional opportunities for our faculty members to research and develop curriculum abroad,” said Katharine Caruso, Ph.D., LSC Associate Vice Chancellor Honors and International Education.

The 2022-2023 Fulbright Scholar Program awarded scholarships to Claire Phillips, Ph.D., LSC-CyFair Science and Engineering Instruction Dean and John Theis, Ph.D., LSC-Kingwood Political Science Professor and Center for Civic Engagement Director.

“Lone Star College continues to create numerous international initiatives through collaborative efforts such as the Fulbright Scholars program,” said Caruso.

Phillips received the International Education Administrators (IEA) award and traveled to France in October 2022 to study global education. During her two weeks in Nantes, Angers and Paris, Phillips helped develop internationalized science courses and built long-term relationships with partnering universities to benefit students, especially those enrolled in the Honors College at LSC.

Theis will use his Fulbright scholarship to renew his ties to South Korea, where he spent the first 18 years of his life. He will travel to Seoul later this month to observe the Korean higher education system and teach at Dankook University. During his five-month sabbatical, Theis will also conduct comparative research into college student political involvement and civic engagement.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, designed to increase mutual understanding between people from other countries. The program enables college and university faculty members with a Ph.D. to teach and conduct research. Recipients receive round-trip transportation to the host country and funding to pay for room, board and incidental costs.

Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2022 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education, ranked 35th in Texas in the Forbes ‘America’s Best Employers By State’ list and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.