Dr. Carolyn Casale has big plans as HFC’s new Fulbright Coordinator
HFC Pre-Education Director Dr. Carolyn Casale has become the new Fulbright Coordinator at the College.
A Fulbright Scholar herself, Casale taught curriculum and instruction for two years at Addis Ababa University and Jimma University in Ethiopia, which she called a life-changing experience.
“Fulbright is amazing! It changed my life for the better! It was an academically enriching experience. I hope other people can see the benefits and apply for a Fulbright Scholarship,” said Casale.
Wants to form a committee to invite Fulbright Visiting Scholars to HFC
Casale has designed objectives as the new Fulbright Coordinator, a position to which she was appointed by HFC Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Michael Nealon. Her first order of business is to bring in another Fulbright Visiting Scholar through the Outreach Lecturing Fund for short-term speaking engagements. The OLF is designed to enrich both educational institutions and scholars through lectures that will promote academic disciplines and cultural understanding. The OLF seeks to build relationships and partnerships with educational institutions that are underrepresented within the Fulbright Program as a means to promote future opportunities.
Last spring, Casale invited Fulbright Visiting Scholar Dr. Jehad Alayasa, a visiting professor at Portland State University from Birzeit University, to HFC.
“Dr. Alayasa’s visit was well-received,” said Casale. “I hope he’s the first of many Fulbright Visiting Scholars who come to HFC for 3-4 days. I would also like to bring someone here as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence.”
To bring a Fulbright Visiting Scholar to HFC through the OLF, Casale would like to form a committee composed of faculty and administrators from the College’s four Schools.
“It should be a collective response. This is an opportunity for people to participate in the selection process and it should be wide-ranging,” said Casale. “We need to push to have others join. I picture the committee meeting twice per semester to discuss opportunities.”
“We’re a high-need institution and fertile ground for someone at HFC to be accepted into a Fulbright Program"
One of her long-term plans is seeing an HFC faculty or staff member being accepted into the Fulbright Program.
“Fulbright wants exposure at the community college level,” said Casale. “Here at HFC, we work with marginalized populations – religiously, ethnically, culturally, financially. We’re a high-need institution and fertile ground for someone at HFC to be accepted into a Fulbright Program"
“I am both excited and grateful that Dr. Casale has agreed to provide faculty leadership regarding Fulbright opportunities for HFC’s learning community,” said Nealon. “She brings a wealth of firsthand knowledge and experience to this role. She was instrumental in bringing Dr. Alayasa to HFC in May 2024 to share his work on serving refugee student populations through educational reform and social development. I invite and encourage faculty, staff, and administration across the Academic Affairs Division to participate in future events and information sessions that Dr. Casale has planned for the Winter 2025 semester.”
Fulbright’s mission is to “engage, serve, and support a diverse, inclusive, and growing network”
Considered one of the most prestigious scholarships in the U.S., the Fulbright Program was founded by Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1946. Its mission is “to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship.”
Fulbright is administered by several cooperating organizations, including the Institute of International Education. It operates in more than 160 countries. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State sponsors the Fulbright Program.
Retired HFC art history instructor and Fulbright Scholar Dr. Hashim Al-Tawil is Casale’s predecessor as Fulbright Coordinator. He has every confidence that she is the right person to succeed him in this role.
“I found Carolyn very energetic and serious in passing the Fulbright message to fellow faculty members and making students aware of the future potency of the Fulbright Program,” said Al-Tawil. “She is an asset to the College and Fulbright’s mission to ‘engage, serve, and support a diverse, inclusive, and growing network dedicated to the Fulbright principle of cooperation through mutual understanding.’”
For those interested in joining the Fulbright committee, contact Casale at ccasale@hfcc.edu.