University Times

For the second consecutive year, Pitt is among the top producers of Fulbright U.S. student program grant winners among research universities, placing 7th among U.S. public research universities and 17th among all U.S. research universities. The University also outperformed its 2010 record, when it placed 12th among publics and 27th among all U.S. universities.

Of Pitt’s 38 applicants this year, nine undergraduates and five graduate students won Fulbrights. Pitt was among the top two U.S. research institutions in the percentage of winners, with 37 percent of applicants receiving awards; only the University of Maryland scored higher, with 39 percent of applicants receiving awards.

The award is granted through the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. More than 1,600 U.S. citizens are traveling abroad for the 2011-12 academic year through the program.

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership in their potential fields. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. The Fulbright U.S. student program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

Pitt undergraduate recipients of Fulbrights are Sesi Aliu, Nick Apollo, Joseph Baranoski, Jonas Caballero, Jay Evick, Paulina Gonzales, Elise Hannon, Karen Melis and Claudia Taylor.

Pitt graduate student winners are Greg de St Maurice, Izabel Galliera, Robert Gradoville Jr., John Round and Chelsea Went-worth.

According to the Fulbright web site, 122 graduate and undergraduate students at Pitt have won Fulbright awards since 1993, when the database began.