Centenary College to Host Fulbright Grant Recipients from all over the World

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. / With their strong international student presence, Centenary College was a natural fit to host the Fulbright Gateway Orientation this summer. The honor comes as a delight to students, faculty and staff as Centenary College prides themselves on having exceptional international and leadership programs. Not only will the program bring new faces to the Centenary campus, but the Fulbright Gateway Orientation will allow for the college to expand interaction with students from other countries.

Centenary College will welcome 60 Fulbright students from several countries around the world as part of the 2012 Fulbright Gateway Orientation this August. The United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) sponsors the orientation to prepare foreign students to adapt to academic and cultural life in the United States and to promote a shared and successful Fulbright experience.

This is the first year that Centenary applied for and subsequently received the opportunity to host students from all over the world for the Fulbright Gateway Orientation. Centenary College is one of 10 institutions nationally and the only one in New Jersey to be selected to host the program this year.

The Fulbright Program is the United States government’s flagship international educational program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. Thanks to their support, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 310,000 participants from over 155 countries with the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns since 1946. The international graduate students participating in the Fulbright Program at Centenary College are among the more than 50,000 academic and professional exchange program participants supported annually by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“It is an honor for Centenary College to be selected to host the 2012 Fulbright Gateway Orientation Program,” says Nancy Paffendorf, dean for community and college affairs at Centenary College. “Holding the Gateway Program at Centenary is a natural fit, as we house a school of international programs and offer a master’s in leadership and public administration. Our faculty and staff will aid Fulbright graduate students in their transition to life in the United States.”

The Fulbright Gateway Orientation program will feature networking, understanding U.S. academics, culture and politics, as well as leadership seminars. The orientation will also include an overview of Fulbright grant benefits and responsibilities with opportunities for Centenary graduate students to interact with the Fulbright foreign students. The program will also include activities in the local New Jersey community where students will be able to experience American culture firsthand. After the orientation, the students will move on to colleges and universities around the United States where they will continue their research and studies in a broad range of academic disciplines.

The Fulbright Gateway Orientation will be held at Centenary College during the week of August 6, 2012.

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit http://fulbright.state.gov. Centenary College: Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary College’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world.

About

Centenary College’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County). The Centenary College School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in three locations: Hackettstown, Parsippany and Edison and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey. The School of International Programs recruits international students for study at Centenary and Centenary students for study abroad.