UK Education Abroad Director Selected for Fulbright to India

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 7, 2012) - Anthony Ogden, Director of Education Abroad, has been selected to receive the Fulbright scholarship to India.

The award gives recipients the opportunity to travel internationally and pursue education, teaching or research opportunities in their award country. Fulbright scholars are selected by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB), a 12-member presidentially selected council comprised of educational and public leaders.

"The Fulbright program is the most prestigious international exchange program in the world," Ogden said. "I'm very honored to be selected and to go to India where I will have a lot to learn."

The Fulbright program offers approximately 75 scholarships each year to India. It offers roughly 20 teaching/research grants in any academic, artistic or professional field.

"In my position, I oversee international student mobility to and from India," Ogden said. "Understanding the higher education in this area is incredibly important; it's growing and I'm excited to study the Indian higher education system while I'm there."

India has approximately 350 universities and 17,000 colleges, which makes it a top choice for Fulbright scholars. The country has institutions that are considered worldwide as some of the best in science and technology, and the nation also boasts a diverse higher education system.

"I'm also an adjunct assistant professor in the College of Education, in Education Policy and Evaluation Studies," Ogden said. "I've been asked to teach a course on international education mobility next spring, so this will improve my instruction and familiarity with a new educational system. There's no doubt that this is a great opportunity for me."

This honor, however, is not Ogden's first experience with the Fulbright program. He received a Fulbright to Germany in 2004 and since then has served as a member of the Fulbright Association.

"It’s a true honor to be selected for a second Fulbright. It's uncommon to get a second one and quite hard to get one to India, so I'm delighted. I know that very few people will go on that particular program," said Ogden.

The Fulbright scholarship to India has been re-named the Fulbright-Nehru award in order to reflect the United States and India government agreement. The Fulbright-Nehru scholarship now offers the largest amount of Fulbright scholarships available.

As an additional connection to the Fulbright program, Ogden is currently hosting a Fulbright student who is on scholarship from Morocco. The opportunities available through Fulbright awards are enticing to both faculty and students who recognize the value of researching and teaching abroad.

"I'm very honored to represent UK on this important and highly visible Fulbright to India in March. For UK to have a representative on a Fulbright award is very important because it gives us a great deal of institutional prestige in terms of hosting and receiving Fulbright scholars," said Ogden. "There are two levels of what this honor means: what it means for me as an individual, and what it means for UK. In both regards, it’s a wonderful opportunity. "