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For the second straight year, Carthage is among the colleges and universities that produced the most Fulbright U.S. Students, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has announced.

Four Carthage students won Fulbright awards for 2016-17, the highest total among bachelor’s degree institutions in Wisconsin. Across all categories, only the University of Wisconsin-Madison had more recipients statewide.

“The College’s success in this arena is testament to our commitment to international education and to the support provided by Professor Choffnes in the application process, said Carthage Provost David Garcia. “Most of all, though, we are proud of our students’ individual commitment and achievement, and are ecstatic that their excellence is so recognized.”

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. The list of top-producing schools was released this week.

More than 1,900 U.S. students, artists and young professionals in more than 100 different fields of study are offered Fulbright Program grants to study, teach English, and conduct research annually. The program operates in more than 140 countries.

“It is wonderful to see our students representing our college and country in placement locations all around the world,” said Prof. Dan Choffnes, Director of Student Fellowships. “They’ve told me that their Carthage education has prepared them well for the challenges of teaching and living abroad.”

Seventeen Carthage students have won Fulbright grants in the past nine years. This year’s recipients are:

  • Jessie Bingaman ’16 (Taiwan) of Arlington Heights, Illinois
  • Taylor Kloha ’16 (Czech Republic) of St. Louis, Missouri
  • Michelle Nuetzmann ’16 (Germany) of Gurnee, Illinois
  • Evan Weyrauch ’15 (Germany) of Rockford, Illinois

This year’s cohort of Fulbright Fellows won prestigious English Teaching Assistantships after their applications were recommended by the Carthage Fulbright committee and passed through two rounds of competition at the national level.

 “I think the Fulbright program is seeing what we see in our students: they are passionate, culturally sensitive, curious, and adaptable,” said Prof. Choffnes. “These characteristics make them superb scholars in Carthage’s liberal-arts setting, and talented, resourceful teachers and mentors in their communities abroad.”