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Fulbright Scholar stories

Lemuel Watson
Professor and Chair, Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL
Lecturing: Higher Education Administration
Host: National Institute of Higher Education, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus
February 2004-May 2004

 

Rekindling the Spirit of Higher Education

"To work with a team of Belarusian educators to develop the best model of higher education is a chance of a lifetime," said Lemuel Watson, a professor of adult and higher education at Northern Illinois University. Watson said he appreciated the opportunity to engage himself in life at Belarus State University-National Center of Higher Education. He said he was glad for the opportunity to challenge himself and to be stimulated intellectually in a non-Western culture.

During his four-month lecturing grant to Minsk, Watson taught a weekly seminar related to the issues of higher education and educational policy. He said his Fulbright grant reminded him of why he chose a career in higher education. In addition to his coursework with students and curricula and educational development with faculty, Watson conducted several guest lectures, presented at conferences, including the National Conference of Information Resource Management, and served on various panels. He was also able to participate with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Chairs in the Commonwealth of Independent States during a rare meeting in the historical town of Mir.

It was Watson's willingness to immerse himself in the Belarusian community that most enhanced his experience. "I asked to get more involved in university life and spent extra time developing relationships with faculty and students," he said. "The most interesting was listening to them talk about their lives and experiences as young people. I was also able to become very involved in the lives of local people." Watson's interaction with people gave fruit to an exchange of knowledge and learning, allowing him to augment his understanding and context of his academic work.

"I have been so enriched in such a short time," Watson said. "Most of the time, my senses were overwhelmed with the people, places and environment." For Watson, the Fulbright experience allowed him to expand his academic repertoire of concepts, methods of practice and philosophical ideologies that he will share with colleagues and students back home at Northern Illinois University.

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The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. For more information, visit fulbright.state.gov.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by CIES, a division of the Institute of International Education.

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