Purchase College Announces Two Fulbright Awards for the 2022-2023 Academic Year

Purchase College, SUNY has announced that the college has received two major institutional Fulbright awards for the 2022-23 academic year.  President Dr. Milagros Peña said, “I’m proud to announce these prestigious awards which will enable us to continue our commitment to global education both here on campus and abroad. I am grateful to Dean for Global Strategy and International Programs Anne Kern for her leadership and stewardship of these important grants.  We are also grateful for Westchester County Executive George Latimer’s support of Mr. Gbeffa’s Scholar-In-Residence award.”

Internationally renowned Beninese dancer and choreographer Marcel Gbeffa has been named a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (S-I-R) for the Purchase College Conservatory of Dance for 2022-23. During his residency, Mr. Gbeffa will teach courses, assist in curriculum development, guest lecture, and choregraph new work for Conservatory of Dance students.

As part of the college’s commitment to the surrounding community, through this project Mr. Gbeffa will also participate in activities with some of the college’s partners including the Denzel Washington School of the Arts in Mount Vernon; the Port Chester-Rye School District; the Police Athletic League’s Teen Acting Program; The Buckley School; the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York; the Federation of Alliance Françaises USA; and ArtsWestchester.

This grant, which is awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, will fund six Purchase College faculty members and six New York area K-12 teachers to participate in a four-week curriculum development and immersive foreign language program in Benin, West Africa, to take place in summer 2023. Participants will also explore the intersection of Beninese languages, culture, history, educational systems, politics, and more, and bring back their knowledge in the form of new and revised courses designed for the levels they teach.

Participants will also share resources with other educators upon their return, expanding the reach of the program. Purchase’s Fulbright Group Project will be facilitated in Benin by a number of the college’s international partners, including: the African School of Economics; the Zinsou Foundation; Centre Choréographe Multicorps; and Atchê Binon Art & Culture.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enabled more than 390,000 dedicated and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and find solutions to shared international concerns. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College–SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. 

For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.