The conference this Saturday is organized by the Institute of English and American Studies, University of Debrecen. Among the presenters are Tibor Glant (’00 George Washington University), István Vida (’03 University of Maryland) and Tibor Frank (’87 University of California, Santa Barbara; UCLA; University of Nevada-Reno)

Rita Gárdosi (’14 Cleveland State University) is the first ‎Fulbright‬-CSU-United Hungarian Societies joint grantee. A welcome reception in honor of Dr. Rita Gárdosi was held on September 5. Cleveland State University, the Department of Modern Languages, and the United Hungarian Societies invited guests in order to introduce the visiting Fulbright instructor of Hungarian Language and Culture for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Book launch this Thursday: History of the U.S. Foreign Policy by Amb. Tamás Magyarics (’01 University of Texas, Austin & ’08 CSIS) talks with Réka Szemerkényi (’93 Johns Hopkins University) Tibor Frank (’87 University of California, Santa Barbara; UCLA; University of Nevada-Reno)

After the opening session of Fulbright’s orientation for the AY 2014-15 US grantees to Hungary, ED Károly Jókay and the rector of the Jesuit Roma College István Antal signed a cooperation agreement.

For the second academic year running, the Roma Residential College will host an American Fulbright student, who teaches CV skills, interviewing, English and American culture.

Starting in AY 2015-16, there will be two English teachers working with two of the Christian Roma residential colleges in Hungary. Fulbright Hungary has been awarded extra funding by the US State Department to kick off the Roma Student Initiative in AY 2015. For more details, see below.

Fulbright Hungary’s Roma Student Initiative

The Roma Student Initiative is designed to help meet the higher education goals, and strengthen leadership, of the Roma student population in Hungary, who are disadvantaged due to their poor economic situation and have suffered discrimination over the years. The goal of the Roma Student Initiative is to work with Roma students who have already gained admission to one of Hungary’s colleges or universities and are prospective Roma Residential College residents that were set up in order to support first generation students, often from underprivileged families.

A very small percentage of Hungary’s Roma youth population complete their high school studies, and only a few hundred are enrolled in a higher education institution. The Hungarian Government’s Roma Integration Program, as well as private efforts supported by the Roma Education Fund, Romaversitas, and other private initiatives will serve as our partners in identifying qualified candidates.

During the past year, one Fulbright English Teaching Assistant was assigned to pilot the Roma Student Initiative at the Jesuit Roma Residential College in Budapest, Hungary. His goal was to

• Conduct outreach to high school students in general, in areas with significant Roma presence

• Conduct advanced English classes for groups of 5 students at the Jesuit Roma Residential College with similar numbers at the other 4 Residential Colleges

• Establish an “English club” for cultural immersion activities that reach out to a broader and younger audience.

In collaboration with EducationUSA, provide educational advising to those students who seem skillful candidates for U.S. study programs, including, but not limited to, grant-writing, interview skills, researching educational institutions etc. Up to 10 Roma students per year could be fit to apply for graduate and undergraduate admissions and take standardized tests. The peer group involved would be an approximate number of 40-50 students in Budapest and three other regional centers that are served by American Corners and Roma residential halls.

Fulbright Hungary held its orientation week for 17 US scholars and students during the week of September 1, 2014. Our new scholars and students were briefed on the practicalities of living in Hungary, and were treated to a panel discussion on current Hungarian politics chaired by ED Károly Jókay, with two guest speakers, Péter Krekó of the consulting firm Political Capital and Ákos Balogh, editor of the on-line political portal, Mandiner. Former Finance Minister Csaba Laszló, currently senior partner with KPMG, led a discussion on economic issues.

Our scholars and students also got a taste of dining along the Danube, and visited Szentendre, an artists’ colony, as well as the medieval and renaissance fortress of Visegrád.

The Fulbright Commission, Hungary, and the University of Debrecen signed a memorandum of understanding on cost sharing on July 4, 2014, to establish a joint lecturing grant for US scholars starting in AY 2014-15. The agreement was presented at a graduation ceremony held for the Faculty of Medicine, by Dr. András Nábrádi, Vice-Rector, and Dr. Károly Jókay, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission.

Balázs Vedres (’00 Columbia University & ’14 Northwestern University) participated in the Northside Trade Show, New York City at the Budapest Urban Zoo booth as co-founder of GraviTalent startup team.

Michele G. Shedlin, Fulbright ’12 fellow from New York University, College of Nursing has held a course “Suffering and Comfort in Narrative Medicine” at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Szeged. She has actively participated in curriculum development as well. Her lectures are internationally well-known and scientifically recognized.
The honorary professor appointment expresses the gratitude and appreciation of Professor Michele G. Shedlin for showing commitment and dedication toward the Faculty of Dentistry.

On June 3, 2014 Mr. Kolos Gálffy, Head of Department for International Relations in Education from the Ministry of Human Resources and Fulbright Board member met American Fulbright exchange teachers Alaina Kinney and Brittany Carlino Marburger as well as their Hungarian mentor teachers, Nóra D. Nagyné Kecskeméti and Gabriella Kiss to discuss the American teachers’ experiences of teaching in Hungary. The exchange teachers talked about how important this year has been for their personal and professional development, and how they plan to continue collaboration between their American school and their Hungarian host school. Through their own enriching experience of living and teaching abroad, they wish to expand their students’ world view in the future to help them become knowledgeable, global citizens. Mr. Gálffy expressed his appreciation for the excellent job the Fulbright exchange teachers did all through the past school year in Hungary. He hopes that exchanges of US and Hungarian educators at the high school level will continue even if in a different format in the future too.

The Fulbright Commission, Hungary, and the University of Pannonia (formerly know as University of Veszprém) signed a memorandum of understanding on June 20, 2014, to establish a joint lecturing grant for US scholars starting in AY 2015-16. The agreement was presented at a graduation ceremony held for the Faculty of Information Science, by Prof. Dr. Ferenc Friedler, the University’s Rector, and Dr. Károly Jókay, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission.

US scholars in all fields taught by the University of Pannonia are encouraged to apply by the August 1, 2014 deadline. Information Science, a particularly strong specialty at Pannonia, is one of the priority fields being sought during the three year duration of this agreement through the 2017-18 academic year.