Tuesday, Mar 29, 2016
Assistant director of Rider's Center for International Education chosen to attend prestigious seminar in Japan
by Emily Hart '16
Kimberly Algeo '15, assistant director of Rider University's Center for International Education, has been selected to receive the highly competitive Fulbright International Education Administrator Seminar award.
As a result of the award, Algeo will attend a two-week long group seminar from June 12 through 25 in Japan designed to acquaint higher education administrators in the U.S with the higher education system, society and culture of Japan. The trip will provide opportunities to meet with education and government officials throughout Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima and engage in cultural activities to better understand Japanese society, education, culture and customs. The program also includes visits to multiple universities and activities with students.
After living in Bangkok for two years, Algeo developed a love for Asian culture and looks forward to returning to one of her favorite parts of the world. "I am ecstatic, humbled and honored to have received a Fulbright," she says. "It truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
Japan holds a special connection to Algeo, which is why she was encouraged to apply for this program. She has wanted to visit Japan since 2011, when her parents hosted a student from the country and she was able to spend a year interacting with their guest and learning about her culture. She heard about the International Education Administrators (IEA) Seminar from a colleague who was accepted last year and had a phenomenal experience.
The presidentially appointed 12-member J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, which is responsible for supervising the Fulbright Program worldwide, approves the selection of all Fulbright recipients. The distinguished participants in the program include thousands of leaders across the private, public and nonprofit sectors.
Algeo, who received her master's in business communication from Rider in 2015, looks forward to this opportunity to widen her understanding of Japanese culture and higher education. "I want to have a better understanding when advising students who wish to study abroad in Japan," she says. She also considering the creation of a new faculty-led program to Japan, which could be implemented in the future.