Volume 17, Number 3, August 2011
ISSN 1177-7885 (online)
Executive Director addresses FSB meeting
Fulbright New Zealand’s Executive Director Mele Wendt addressed a meeting of the Fulbright programme’s governing
Fulbright Foreign Scholarships Board (FSB) in Washington, DC in June, the first time in her six years as Executive
Director that she had been able to do so.
Mele told the FSB meeting, chaired by Anita McBride, that bilateral relations between New Zealand and the United States
are at their best in the past 25 years, and that strong university linkages exist between the two countries. With
regards to the Fulbright programme in New Zealand, she noted that New Zealand government funding slightly exceeds US
government funding. She said that although fundraising is challenging in the current economic environment, Fulbright New
Zealand has a large number of hyphenated (co-sponsored) awards in its programme. She reported that Fulbright outreach
around New Zealand has now grown to visiting over 30 campuses, and includes strategies to promote the programme to Māori
and Pacific people. | read the full story online
Grantee Voice: Kyle Rosenblad - Fulbright opens door to the global community
Kyle Rosenblad from Shelburne, Vermont was the first of 2011’s nine Fulbright US Graduate Students to arrive in New
Zealand last summer, in order to begin field research into the effects of exotic plant species on native flora. Kyle is
the only one of this year’s US students based in Canterbury (at Lincoln University), and after February’s earthquake was
quick to join other students in the region in cleaning up affected homes as part of the Student Volunteer Army. Here, he
reports on his exchange experience to date.
The smells of earth and effluent hung in the stuffy air. Shovels squelched through a blanket of wet, gray silt. As I
hauled another wheelbarrow-full past the sunken patio, an elderly gentleman emerged from the door bearing ginger ale.
“You volunteers are just amazing! Would anyone like a drink? Terribly sorry it’s not cold – bloody quake’s cut the
power.”
I balked. Surely he wasn’t apologizing for the vagaries of plate tectonics. My astonishment grew when he mentioned that
this was his last bottle of drinkable liquid, as the earthquake had disrupted the water supply. I heard my cohorts
politely decline his offer, encouraging him to save the precious hydration. I followed suit. As we returned to shoveling
and intermittent chitchat, the gentleman sat on the patio and joined our conversation. The topic quickly turned to how
lucky we each felt in the wake of the disaster. After hearing some stories, I could hardly believe what passed for
“lucky”. | read the full story online
Alumni Voice: Saeeda Verrall - Fulbright opens door to the global community
Saeeda Verrall received a 2007 Fulbright New Zealand Graduate Award to complete an LLM in international human rights and
criminal justice at Harvard University. She has squeezed extensive overseas experience into the few years since her
graduation, and plans to move to Nepal in the future to further her voluntary work with a Himalayan NGO.
Almost five years ago I submitted my Fulbright application and nervously awaited the outcome. Like most of my
contemporaries, I could never have undertaken graduate study in the US without financial assistance, and in that
respect, nothing would have been possible without Fulbright. However, the value of the Fulbright cannot be measured in
quantitative terms. It is not simply an “award” but the beginning of a journey. For me, the Fulbright was a catalyst – a
launching pad – that ultimately led to even more rewarding and enriching experiences after my studies. | read the full story online
ENDS