Hawaiʻi Community College named in Fulbright recognition list

Hawaiʻi Community College has been named a Top Fulbright Producing Institution for the 2023–24 academic year, the University of Hawai‘i announced on Feb. 13. 

According to the announcement, Hawaiʻi Community College is one of 17 associate’s degree-granting institutions across the nation, out of more than 1,200, to receive the recognition for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. Department of State’s flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, it has provided more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad in more than 160 countries.

Hawaiʻi Community College was recognized for having one Fulbright scholar for 2023 to 2024, under Fulbright’s associate institutions classification.

Sarah Vogel, a current Fulbright scholar and Title IX coordinator with Hawaiʻi Community College, is currently researching Indigenous sexual education in Vancouver, Canada.

The award is the second consecutive recognition for Hawaiʻi Community College. For the 2022 to 2023 year, Pamela Scheffler, a Hawaiʻi Community College geography, biology and environmental science professor, served as a Fulbright scholar when she researched stingless bees in Indonesia. 

Scheffler was also a Fulbright scholar during the 2012–13 academic year when she researched biodiversity patterns in India.

The University of Hawai‘i release noted further details about the Fulbright Program, stating it is Fulbright is an international academic exchange program founded to increase mutual understanding and support friendly and peaceful relations between the people of the U.S. and of other countries.

Each year, U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with the Institute of International Education, recognizes the U.S. higher education institutions with the highest number of applicants accepted to the Fulbright U.S. Student and Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programs, the announcement said.