Ringling College A Top Producer Of Fulbright Awards For U.S. Students

SARASOTA, FL — Ringling College of Art and Design was named a “Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Students” by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, according to a news release from the college.

This recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

In the spring, one Ringling student and one alumnus were named as semi-finalists for the 2022-23 academic year.

DeAnna Boyer, who studied illustration and graduated last year, received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award enhanced with a Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship, Ringling said. She was a senior at the time of her award.

Boyer’s Fulbright year is currently taking place at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland, and the National University of Ireland Galway, where she will matriculate into the joint master of arts program in art and ecology.

Her Fulbright project will include the creation of an illustrated book that seeks to connect the current culture and environment of Ireland to the historical stories and legends preserved through Celtic history, Ringling said.

The Fulbright competition is administered at Ringling College by a committee of advisors including Dr. Genevieve Hill-Thomas, liberal arts professor of art history and Fulbright program head, and Amy Pettengill, director of international student affairs.

“Our students and staff have benefited over the years not only from the Fulbright program but also from the rigorous application process itself,” Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College, said. “The Fulbright has served to foster significant international awareness among our domestic students, and we are pleased to have been acclaimed as a top producer of Fulbright scholars in the four-year special focus institution category.”