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Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational h 2009Sofia 1000, Al. Stamboliiski blvd., tel. (359 2) 981 85 67, 980 82 12, 981 68 30; fax (359 2) 988 45 17; E-mail: fulbright@fulbright.bg; Internet: www.fulbright.bg, www.fisi-bg.infoFulbright Commission Activities in 2008During 2008 the Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange continued to work for the realizationof the goals of the Fulbright program defined in the 1961Fulbright-Hays Act and the 2003 agreement between the US Government and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria. Its activities aimed to implement the specific objectives outlined in the2007 program proposal:l Support long-term and short-term academic exchanges inall fields, especially the social sciences, the humanities, and American and Bulgarian studies.l Extend outreach to BG universities, schools and other educational institutions to provide a higher number and greater diversityof applicants in the context of increasing competition from European universities and decreasing number of eligible candidates.l Promote the Fulbright program in Bulgaria in US universitiesand educational institutions to increase the number of US applicants in all categories.l Facilitate other programs in furtherance of the Fulbright program.l Continue to support the local Fulbright info-centers.l Expand language training services and upgrade facilities atthe Fulbright language center and local info-centers.l Continue to provide testing services, including iBT TOEFL,GRE, SAT, LSAT, CFA etc.l Continue to offer the Fulbright International Summer Institute.l Support the Bulgarian American Association.l Mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Ful-In This Issue:Fulbright Commission Activities in 200801Fulbright Office News07Announcements09To Chicago and Back11Out of America15N56, January-March 2009Dr. Julia Stefanova, Executive DirectorBulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchangebright Commission in Bulgarial Continue to offer educational advising to promote the Fulbright program in Bulgaria and educational opportunities in theUS.l Maintain high standards of program administration on thebasis of bi-nationalism, peer review and academic and professional excellence.The year 2008 marked the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange. It will be no exaggeration to say that thanks to the supportof the US and Bulgarian governments and the selfless efforts of themembers of the Board and staff during a dramatic period in Bulgarian history, the Bulgarian Fulbright Commission has become anauthoritative and widely recognized binational institution of academic and cultural exchange. It has been actively and effectivelyinvolved in the Bulgarian educational reform and the global process of internationalization of education. Most importantly, it hassubstantially contributed to the good relations between Bulgariaand the US by promoting the Fulbright goals, the US educationalsystem and opportunities and by creating a positive image of Bulgaria making known its rich cultural traditions, beautiful natureand the impressive intellectual resources of its people.Since 1993 the US Government has invested about USD14mln in the Fulbright program in Bulgaria. The contribution ofthe Bulgarian government amounts to 230,000. Prior to 2003,01
NewsletterBulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchangethe Bulgarian government provided in-kind support to the program and the Commission. Today the Bulgarian-American Fulbright community has 882 members – 458 Bulgarian and 424American alumni. Along with the Fulbright exchange, the Commission has developed a number of supplemental activities, e.g.advising, language training, testing, summer schools, conferencesetc. Since 1993 we have provided advising services to 216,480 Bulgarian citizens, we have trained 7,615 Bulgarian students in English, and have administered TOEFL, SAT, GRE, GMAT, CFA and EPSOto 40,592 testees. The Fulbright International Summer Institutecreated in 2002 has now 289 alumni from 27 countries, includingBulgaria and the US.the Phillipopoly Folk Choir and performed folk songs for a Bulgarianmovie. The third student was awarded a UNESCO scholarship after shecompleted her Fulbright project in Bulgaria.The Fulbright Commission has opened local info-centers ineleven cities in Bulgaria. They assist the Fulbright exchange, provideadvising and English language training to the local communities.Since 1994 the Commission has held eight international conferences on a variety of topics relating to international education, civilsociety, cultural differences and the role of the Fulbright program inthe global cultural process.To help the US grantees adjust more easily to the new culturaland academic environment, the Commission staff invited them toattend the two-week Fulbright International Summer Institute inAugust 2007. At the end of September 2007 the Commission organized a two-day orientation with presentations, discussions, briefing from the US Embassy and a welcome reception attended by theUS Ambassador. The cultural enrichment program that followedcovered the whole academic year and included trips to historicand natural sights, concerts and opera performances and informalmeetings with Fulbright staff and Bulgarian alumni.US Grantees in AY 07-08 and AY 08-09In AY 07-08 the number of US grantees was 35: 6 lecturers, 3 graduate students, 2 English teaching assistants, 2 teachers, 1 school administrator, 5 senior specialists and 16 participants in the FulbrightHays Summer seminar. The lecturers came from the following fields:US studies, business administration, journalism, law, computer science, and art. They were assigned to Sofia University, Plovdiv University, the American University in Blagoevgrad, and the NationalAcademy of Arts. The senior specialists were hosted by New Bulgarian University, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia University,and the Technical University in Varna.In accordance with the policy of the Fulbright Commission, arrangements were made for the US lecturers to visit universities outside of the city of their assignment. Thus two of them gave lecturesat Sofia University and the New Bulgarian University and participated in the annual conference of the Bulgarian American StudiesAssociation.The final reports of the US lecturers and the evaluations of thepartner institutions indicate that both sides were satisfied with theexchange and would like to continue the established relationships.There were also three US graduate students in archaeology, modern history and Bulgarian folk singing. Depending on their projects,they were placed in appropriate educational institutions, such as theBulgarian Academy of Sciences, the International Center for MinorityStudies and Intercultural Relations, and the Academy of Music, Danceand Fine Arts in Plovdiv. The interim and final reports of the students,the evaluations of their local advisors and the regular communicationwe maintained with the grantees throughout the academic year indicate that they completed their projects successfully. One student attended the Berlin Seminar in Germany, another toured Bulgaria with02For a second year running the English Teaching AssistantshipProgram was a success for students and hosts alike. One teachingassistant worked at the Sofia Mathematical School, and the othertaught at the English Language High School in Burgas. The surveywe conducted at other high schools demonstrates great interest inthe program. In the current academic year, there are two teachingassistants already working at very good language high schools inSofia and Plovdiv.In AY 07-08 five American senior specialists visited Bulgarianuniversities (Sofia University, New Bulgarian University, the BulgarianAcademy of Sciences, and the Technical University of Varna) to deliver lectures, participate in seminars and conferences, teach graduateand undergraduate courses, and help with curriculum developmentin the following areas: social work, economics, business administration, education, and information technologies. Everywhere, theSenior Specialist Program again proved its usefulness and effectiveness. The Commission staff will continue to work for popularizing itin more Bulgarian universities and educational institutions.Under the Fulbright Teacher Exchange, two U.S. grantees taughtEnglish language and literature at high schools in Vidin and Vratsa.Both of them completed their assignments successfully and ourfeedback from their respective schools is very positive. The schoolin Vidin formally requested to continue the cooperation under theTeacher Exchange or the English Teaching Assistantship Programs.There was one participant in the school administrators’ program who worked with the principal of the Aprilov National HighSchool in Gabrovo. The exchange provoked interest in the American school system and was covered in local newspapers.The AY 08-09 competition resulted in the selection of 14 USgrantees, most of whom are already working in Bulgaria. In the seniorscholar category, there are 6 lecturers in education, cultural studies,U.S. studies, business administration, theatre/costume design, andcomputer science. There are four students in modern history, urbandevelopment, and jazz and installation art. Two more students wereselected under the English Language Teaching Assistantship Program. One works at the First English Language High School in SofiaN56, January-March 2009
Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchangeand the other - at the Foreign Language High School in Plovdiv.Two high school teachers share their experience and expertisein English language and American literature at the Bertolt BrechtForeign Language High School in Pazardzhik and 81st Victor HugoHigh School in Sofia.Bulgarian Grantees in AY 07-08 and AY 08-09In the academic year under review there were 20 Bulgarian grantees in the following categories and fields: 6 scholars in culturalstudies, law, mathematics, geology, philosophy and economics; 9students in media and communication studies, law, internationalrelations, business administration and cultural anthropology; oneH. Humphrey Fellow in public policy; one New Century Scholar inthe field of sociology; two teachers in English language and American literature; one school administrator.The scholars were awarded 5-month grants. All scholars returned home on time. Their final reports are very positive and express great satisfaction with the Fulbright experience.The higher number of graduate students in AY 07-08 resultedfrom the high competitiveness of our candidates and cost-sharingunder the joint scholarships with the Thanks to Scandinavia Institute and Michael Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Of the 9 students, four have returned to Bulgaria,having successfully completed one-year LLM programs. The othersare still studying in the US. According to the periodic reports fromIIE, they are doing well and we have every reason to believe thatthey will finish their studies successfully.Our New Century scholar, Prof. Pepka Boyadjieva, finished herprogram successfully in April 2008. She was the keynote speaker atthe 8th Fulbright International Conference on Education and Society. Her lecture was entitled “Social Equity in Higher EducationMission (Im) possible” and reflected her research under the NewCentury Scholar Program.The Hubert Humphrey fellow, a youth program coordinatorat UNICEF, Bulgaria, also completed her program in public policyin Minneapolis, Minnesota. She seems highly motivated to use thenewly acquired knowledge to tackle the local challenges.The two Bulgarian teachers returned to Bulgaria and reportedgood results from the Fulbright exchange. One of them taught English and English literature in Portland, Oregon, and the other – inLivingston, Montana.Newsletterwere selected in the following fields: lexicography, social psychology/mass media, chemical engineering, Slavic studies, linguisticsand geology. Three of them have already started their projectsat prestigious US universities: University of California, Ohio StateUniversity, Miami University, OH. Three scholars started their programs in January, February and March, 2008. Their host institutionsare Long Island University, University of Pittsburgh, and Ohio StateUniversity.In the student category, 7 students were approved and are currently enrolled in master’s programs in creative writing, businessadministration, organizational psychology, finances, East Asianstudies and sound engineering. The graduate students are all verystrong and highly motivated and it is not surprising that they wereadmitted to prestigious universities with financial support: University of Houston, Emory University, Milano – The New School forManagement and Urban Policy, University of Michigan, New YorkUniversity, Columbia University, Purdue University Indianapolis.The joint scholarship with Thanks to Scandinavia Institute wasawarded for a second consecutive year. The grantee is enrolled in amaster’s program in creative writing at Houston University, Texas.The recipient of the 2008 Science and Technology Ph. D. Awardstarted her program in the field of molecular biology at the University of Florida.This year both our principal and alternate nominees for HubertHumphrey fellowships were approved and are now working ontheir projects in journalism and public policy in the University ofMaryland and Washington University, respectively.The Commission also nominated two Bulgarian high schoolteachers that were approved by FSB. They are currently teachingEnglish and American literature at high schools in Pocatello, Idaho,and Woodbridge, Virginia.On June 21-22, 2008, the Fulbright Commission hosted apre-departure orientation for 25 Fulbright Exchange Teachersfrom Bulgaria, Turkey, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, the CzechRepublic, Slovakia and Hungary. The program was conducted byrepresentatives of USDA. It met its goals and we hope that it willhelp all exchange teachers to accomplish their mission in the USsuccessfully.In March 2008, a new joint scholarship was established between the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe andthe Bulgarian Fulbright Commission. The first approved grantee isa representative of an ecological NGO. He has been invited to workon his project in Cope Environmental Center, Centerville, Indiana.The school administrator, principal of the oldest Bulgarian secular school in Gabrovo, made an exchange visit to a charter schoolin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Grantee Accomplishments in AY 07-08The Fulbright competition for AY 08-09 grants resulted in 19more Bulgarian nominees that were approved by FSB. Six scholarsThe U.S. Embassy in Sofia’s Public Affairs Section, in conjunctionwith the Fulbright Commission in Bulgaria, hosted an exhibit ofN56, January-March 200903
NewsletterBulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchangetextile design patterns created by the students of Fulbright grantee Michelle Hill. The exhibit provoked a great interest in the Fulbright Program and allowed students to show their works in frontof a wider audience. It was followed by an exhibition of the worksof Michelle Hill created during her stay in Bulgaria and inspired byher interest in Orpheus and his possible birth place in the RhodopeMountains.U.S. graduate student Jennifer Cimaglia was approved for theUNESCO Fulbright Internship Program. She started work in theWorld Heritage section in Paris in January 2008.Nikolai Yanev, a graduate student at the Columbia UniversityLaw School and recipient of the Fulbright-Thanks to Scandinaviascholarship conducted a workshop about Bulgaria in a Bronx highschool under the Global Classroom Initiative.Non-Grant ActivitiesDuring the period under review educational advising continuedto play a central part in the Commission’s non-grant activities. Theresults are quite encouraging, although competition from Europeis intensifying and the pool of potential candidates for Fulbrightscholarships is shrinking.In 2008, thirty-one of the regular visitors of the Fulbright advising center, have been accepted to universities and colleges in the U.S.with a total scholarship amount of 4,109,024. 65% of all acceptedstudents were granted full scholarships and 35% of the students received some financial aid. Among the schools where our advisees arecontinuing their education are Princeton University, NJ; Stanford University, CT; Colgate University, NY; Smith College, MA; Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI); Tufts University, MA; Mount Holyoke College,MA; DePauw University, IN; Ohio Wesleyan University, OH; Bryn MawrCollege, PA; Bard College, NY; Duke University, NC; St. Lawrence University U, NY; Connecticut College, CT; St. John’s University, NY; VassarCollege, NY; Seton Hill University, PA; Columbia College, MO; St. Peter's College, NJ; Providence College, RI; Lynn University, FL; StetsonUniversity,FL; Radford University U, VA; AUBG in Bulgaria.During AY 07-08 the Commission continued to expand outreachall across Bulgaria and especially in the underserved regions. The Fulbright advising center submitted a proposal for expanding outreachactivities which was supported by ECA. Thanks to the additional 6,200 EducationUSA Europe Regional Funds, the Commission received, the objectives of the project were successfully implemented.Our attention was focused on three target audiences: university students, high school students and representatives of ethnic minorities.The visible result of this activity is the dramatic increase in the number of contacts with institutions and individuals.Worth mention is our regular participation and involvement innational and international educational exhibitions and fairs. A notable example is the 2008 QS World MBA Fair in Sofia in which prestigious business schools from the US, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria,04France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain,Switzerland, and the UK promoted their programs. In March 2008we participated in the Exhibition of Public Schools held in Sofiawhere over 300 visitors stopped at the Fulbright booth. In MarchApril, the Commission was involved in the 2008 Career Fairs in thecities of Sofia, Varna, Blagoevgrad, Rousse, Svishtov, Plovdiv, StaraZagora, and Veliko Turnovo. The events presented a great opportunity for over 1,000 students, scholars, parents, educators, international relations officers, scholarship administrators, career officers,and others interested in international education professionals tofind out more about studying in the US.Outreach activities also included meetings of educational adviser Snezhana Teneva with over 240 students at “Geo Milev” English Language High School in Bourgas, “Leonardo Da Vinci” ForeignLanguage High School in Dobrich, and “Prof. Vassil Zlatarski” PrivateSchool in Sofia, as well as training for new Fulbright coordinators inBourgas, Varna and Dobrich.During the International Education week (November 12-16,2007) a number of useful activities were carried out attracting theattention of students, professors, high-school teachers, educatorsand parents. The highlight of the IEW was the Professional Development Seminar on “Trends in Transatlantic Exchange: Global Resources for Local Universities and Trends in EducationUSA Advising”. Participating in it were 35 students, Vice Rectors and Deans forInternational Cooperation, International Relations Office Directors,Scholarship Administrators, Career Officers, Fulbright Coordinators,etc. They came from 22 educational institutions in Sofia, Plovdiv,Veliko Turnovo, Rousse, Shumen, Stara Zagora, Varna, Blagoevgrad,Vidin, Sliven, Madan and Kardzhali.During and around IEW, the Fulbright advising center in Sofia was visited by representatives of four U.S. institutions of highereducation: Hawai'i Pacific University; Kenyon College, OH; St. John’sUniversity, NY, and the University of Indianapolis. They presentedtheir institutions and the American educational system to interested students, parents, school principals and teachers.The centerpiece of IEW 2007 was the second United StatesAchievers Program (USAP) competition which resulted in the selection of eleven junior high school students out of forty seven candidates representing diverse social groups and 25 high schools from19 cities in Bulgaria. The Commission organized a series of trainingactivities for the students: workshops, meetings, specific instructions on the application process, work with Internet informationetc. We hope that the USAP students have benefited from the Commission assistance and their applications to US universities this fallwill be successful.The academic year 2007-2008 was particularly rich in eventsorganized to raise the profile of the program in Bulgaria and the USand sustain interest in the many opportunities it offers.On December 1-2, 2007 the Bulgarian Fulbright Commission co-N56, January-March 2009
Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchangeorganized, jointly with the Bulgarian American Studies Association,an international conference on “The Study of America and American Studies in the 21st Century”. The conference took place at SofiaUniversity attracting fifty participants from seven countries. All USgrantees in Bulgaria were involved in the conference sessions.To continue the tradition of biennial conferences, the Commission held its 8th conference on “Education and Society: Problems,Prospects, and Prognoses”. It took place on April 11-12 at Sofia University. The conference was dedicated to the 15th anniversary ofthe establishment of the Fulbright Commission and the 120th anniversary of the founding of Sofia University. There were 101 participants from Bulgaria and the US. Most of them were US and Bulgariangrantees and alumni. The conference was opened by US Ambassador John Byerle and Deputy Minister of Education and Science Ekaterina Vitkova, member of the Fulbright Commission Board.From June 18 to July 6the Fulbright Commission conducted itsfourth Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar jointly with the Greek Fulbright Commission. The theme of the Seminar was “ Bulgaria andGreece: A Shared Past and a Common Future”. The aim of the program was to introduce the US participants to Bulgaria, its past andpresent, its culture and its people in the context of the country’srecent accession to EU, its socio-political and cultural role in theSouth-East Europe and the Balkans. The participants were sixteenhigh school teachers, community college and university facultyand librarians from 10 US states: New York, New Hampshire Massachusetts, Illinois, Montana, California, Hawaii, Texas, Georgia, andUtah. The first nine days were devoted to presentations and discussions on key topics, such as ancient civilizations in the region,Bulgarian history and culture from the Middle Ages to the present, Bulgaria, EU and the transatlantic community, social and ethnic issues, Bulgarian education, art, music, folklore. The academicportion included meetings with Bulgarian academics, teachers,educators, artists etc. During the second week of the Seminar theparticipants visited places of historical and tourist interest all overBulgaria. They also had meetings with colleagues at local universities and high schools.A special highlight of the Fulbright summer was the 7thFulbright International Summer Institute (FISI). It took place onAugust 11-23 in the historic town of Tryavna. The Commissionreceived a total of 104 applications from 24 countries. Forty-sixstudents from 15 countries were admitted (Bulgaria, USA, Albania, Azerbaijan, Canada, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic,Italy,Lebanon, Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine). Theparticipants were offered ten interdisciplinary courses in political science, social and cultural studies, business, journalism, andart. The team of 15 instructors included distinguished universitylecturers from Bulgaria, Europe and the US. Most of them wereFulbright alumni. For the first time, FISI students had a chance toenrol in courses that are part of a regular M.A. program. Based onspecial agreements between the Fulbright Commission and Sofia University, and New Bulgarian University, two courses broughtcredits to the students. FISI 2008 was another huge success. ItN56, January-March 2009Newsletteralso offered a great opportunity for the new US Fulbrighters toadjust to the new educational and cultural environment and meeta wonderfully diverse group of highly motivated students fromthree continents.General Factors Impacting the ProgramThe factors that impacted the Fulbright program last year continued to affect it in FY 2008 and AY 07-08 as well. This is because all ofthem relate to substantial and long-term changes in the Bulgariansociety and educational system.Accession to the European UnionDuring the second year of Bulgaria’s accession to the EuropeanUnion the adjustment to EU standards and requirements continuedand the transition is likely to take a long time before the positiveresults become tangible. The negative effects are still more visible ,especially in the economic sphere: continuing increase of the costof living, poverty, low productivity, high emigration rate, low birthrate, high corruption rate, lack of strong government control overorganized crime, general disillusionment with the political classand the state institutions, decline and commercialization of cultureand education.Ongoing reform in BG educationSimilarly to last year, the educational system is still going throughstructural changes and transformations aimed at harmonizationwith the existing EU standards and new requirements. They arepart of the Bologna Process that Bulgaria joined in 1999: introduction of the Diploma supplement, two-tier university education(Bachelor’s and Master’s level), introduction of ECTS (EuropeanCredit Transfer System) and the Diploma Supplement, integrationof curricula, assessment systems, quality assurance and accreditation methodology, increase of student and faculty mobility etc. Thegovernment funds for education are still low (4, 2% of the GDP) andthis is an additional factor blocking the educational reform. Although the salaries of teachers (especially after the national strikein the fall of 2007) and university faculty have been raised, there is ageneral dissatisfaction with education policies.The economic difficulties are affecting the quality of education at all levels by eroding academic standards and de-motivatingfaculty to upgrade their professional and teaching expertise. Thisis the major reason why a great number of students and professorsseek educational and professional opportunities abroad.Educational opportunities in EuropeEuropean education continues to be a great attraction for Bulgarianundergraduate and graduate students. Their number is over 50,000.Germany (over 12,000), UK (about 900), and most recently Denmarkremain the prime destinations mainly because of low tuition feesand opportunities to work part-time. France, Austria, Spain also at-05
NewsletterBulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchangetract Bulgarian students. More competition comes from Canada,Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. European colleges anduniversities continue to most actively advertise their programsthrough periodic educational fairs, visits of their representatives,extensive Internet information. Other factors are: geographic proximity, inexpensive travel, no visa problems, allegedly good prospects for professional realization in the future, and a heightenedsense of cultural belonging to Europe.Demographic issuesThe number of potential Fulbright candidates tends to drop because of still low birth rate (despite a recent positive trend), decrease in the number of school kids and an increase in the numberof undergraduate students who continue their education abroad.English language proficiencyThe level of English language proficiency is a real problem and a financial challenge, especially the rising fees for preparatory coursesand computerized tests (TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT).High cost of education in the U.S., visa restrictionsThe high tuition in many U.S. universities, reduction of financial aid( fewer and smaller scholarships), together with some visa restrictions, are strong factors diverting Bulgarian students from applying to U.S. universities in favor of European institutions.In the relatively unfavorable situation in which the Fulbrightprogram has operated in the last couple of years, it is curious tonote that the number of applicants from the US has tended to rise.Whereas with the Bulgarian candidates the decrease is most visiblein the graduate student category and the increase is in the seniorscholar category, with the US applicants the trend is just the opposite: there is an increase of interest among US students, whereas thesenior scholar group remains relatively stable. The overall number ofBulgarian candidates is almost the same as that of American graduate students and scholars who are interested in coming to Bulgaria.The Commission will continue to take measures to counteract the negative trends by improving and expanding Internetresources and communication; extending outreach, especially inunderserved regions; offering English language training; identifying possibilities for more direct partnerships with US universitiesand institutions; using the Fulbright Summer Institute for promoting the Fulbright opportunity; diversifying the menu of Fulbrightgrants; encouraging alumni to get more actively involved in thepromotion of the Fulbright program and US education; reachingBG students studying in Europe; creating short-term grant opportunities, especially for experts in business, finance, management,and NGO officers.In conclusion, I would like to thank the Board and staff of theBulgarian-American Commission for Edu
Sofia 1000, Al. Stamboliiski blvd., tel. (359 2) 981 85 67, 980 82 12, 981 68 30; fax (359 2) 988 45 17; E-mail: fulbright@fulbright.bg; Internet: www.fulbright.bg .
