News

Fulbright Awarded to Professor at Queensborough Community College

Published: January 14, 2012

Ruth Elinor Botwinik, an Adjunct Professor in the Basic Skills Department at Queensborough Community College, is the recipient of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) award for the 2011 - 2012 academic year.

Professor Botwinik traveled to Dushanbe, Tajikistan for the 2012 spring semester, where she was an instructor of English at the Tajikistan State Institution of Foreign Languages, returning to QCC for fall 2012.

"This grant provided me with a wonderful opportunity to connect with people in another country who are eager to learn about our language and culture," said Professor Botwinik, who was also a Fulbright grantee in 2005 to teach English at the University of World Languages in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. "Just as important, I will share my experience with my students at Queensborough, many of whom are from Central Asia."

"An award of this caliber is a reflection of the scholarship and commitment of Professor Botwinik and underscores the fact that Queensborough provides a quality education under the guidance of our outstanding faculty," said Dr. Diane B. Call, Interim Presidentof Queensborough Community College.

Approximately 800 Fulbright Scholars from all academic disciplines are chosen each year from around the country. Twelve are selected nationally within the category of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language).

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in 155 countries worldwide.

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars,a division of the Institute of International Education.