DiGeorgio-Lutz Receives Prestigious Fulbright Award    

Texas A&M University at Galveston Liberal Studies Department Head, JoAnn DiGeorgio-Lutz, has received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Cambodia to mentor graduate students and further her research on the Cambodian genocide. The award is DiGeorgio-Lutz’s third Fulbright award: she was a Fulbright Scholar to Jordan in 2008 and a Fulbright Specialist to Cambodia in 2011.

“Fulbright is a reciprocal experience and will allow me to collaborate with new colleagues and make new connections with organizations and associations that will enrich my classes when I return,” DiGeorgio-Lutz said. “I am proud of the recognition this award brings to the Department of Liberal Studies here at the Galveston Campus and its acknowledgment of the importance of liberal arts.”

Fulbright alumni include 61 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 40 who have served as a head of state or government.

DiGeorgio-Lutz begins her Scholar-in-Residence on May 15 at Paragon International University. She will provide tutorials and mentoring on graduate research projects and graduate theses for students majoring in International Relations while pursuing her research interests.

“Being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship allows me to engage in more depth with the people and culture of Cambodia,” said DiGeorgio-Lutz. “Having been a Fulbright Specialist to the country several years ago and a frequent visitor to pursue my research, an extended stay will allow me to develop my Khmer language skills and explore areas of the country beyond the major tourist stops.”  

DiGeorgio-Lutz researches Khmer Rouge foreign policy to provide a new perspective and additional analysis of perpetrator behavior in understanding the Cambodian genocide. She also examines Cambodia’s genocide memorialization and transitional justice measures in the context of genocide museums and other public memorials.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright program is an annual appropriation by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.  

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.