The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has named Syracuse University a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. students. This recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2023-24 Fulbright U.S. Student Program cohort.

Eleven students from the University were selected for Fulbright research and teaching awards for academic year 2023-24 to the Czech Republic, France, Germany (three awards), Mexico, Oman, Poland, Spain (two awards) and Tajikistan.

“Fulbright’s Top Producing Institutions represent the diversity of America’s higher education community. Dedicated administrators support students and scholars at these institutions to fulfill their potential and rise to address tomorrow’s global challenges. We congratulate them, and all the Fulbrighters who are making an impact the world over,” says Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs.

The Fulbright competition is administered at Syracuse University by the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA). This is the fourth time—and second year in a row—the University was named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution. The University was previously recognized for the 2012-13 cohort (under campus Fulbright advisor and professor emerita Susan Wadley) and the 2019-20 and 2022-23 cohorts (under CFSA).

Twenty-six faculty and staff members from across the University served on the campus Fulbright committee for the 2023-24 cohort. The committee is convened by CFSA; members interview applicants, provide feedback and complete a campus endorsement for each applicant. “Faculty and staff investment in our Fulbright candidates is crucial; our Fulbright work is an all-campus effort,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA.

Kiana Khoshnoud ’23 with some of her students in a classroom in Tajikistan (Photo courtesy of Kiana Khoshnoud)

Students apply for Fulbright awards in the fall and awards are made in the spring. In the current competition for the 2024-25 cohort, 31 of the University’s 39 applicants have been named as semifinalists. Awards will be announced this spring.

Kiana Khoshnoud ’23 majored in public relations with a minor in environment and society at Syracuse. She is currently engaged in an English teaching assistantship in Dushanbe, the capital city of Tajikistan. She frequently travels to smaller villages outside of Dushanbe as well to work with Afghan refugee students.

She says her Fulbright experience has been life changing. “Becoming an educator has brought so much challenge and joy into my life. Tajik students are incredibly respectful, and I have been able to connect with hundreds of students,” she says. “Moreover, on the weekends, I get to pursue one of my passions, horseback riding.”

The classes Khoshnoud teaches are free and open to all, so each class has different students of various ages and English levels. She teaches 20 individual classes a week on a variety of subjects, including writing, basic English, public speaking, diversity and inclusion, critical thinking, filmmaking, magazine-making, current events, short stories, a book club, English conversation, the United States, art classes, geography and more.

Kiana Khoshnoud ’23 on horseback in Tajikistan (Photo courtesy of Kiana Khoshnoud)

“My goal as a teacher here is to bridge cultural gaps between Tajiks and Americans. As one of the first or only Americans many people here meet, it is important to provide the students with as much diverse knowledge about the United States as I can,” she says.

Khoshnoud’s grant includes a language stipend, and she has studied the Cyrillic alphabet and the Tajik language. She is now focused on mastering her Farsi language skills and attempting to learn a bit of Russian. “Many people in Tajikistan are bilingual and speak Tajik and Russian,” she says. “Also, I have been learning a new way of life. Tajikistan is a very unique country. I have learned how to adopt new cultures, and that is quite amazing.”

Khoshnoud says she will never forget her time in Tajikistan for many reasons. “The people here have been so welcoming,” she says. “As a new teacher, I have learned so much about how to manage classes with 40-50 students of different ages and levels. And I have become more confident in myself. I have had to rely on myself to face challenges head-on, and I am becoming a stronger person because of it.”

Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. It is also among the largest and most diverse exchange programs in the world. Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 participants from all backgrounds and fields—including recent university graduates, teachers, scientists, researchers, artists and others, from the United States and over 160 other countries—have participated in the Fulbright Program. Fulbright alumni have returned to their home countries to make an impact on their communities thanks to their expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country and its people, and a larger network of colleagues and friends.

Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows and countless leaders and changemakers who carry forward the Fulbright mission of enhancing mutual understanding.

CFSA and the Office of Research will hold a Fulbright Day on Wednesday, March 20, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Shaffer Art Building Atrium.

Fulbright Day will introduce the campus community to the range of opportunities funded through Fulbright. Attendees can learn about Fulbright opportunities available to faculty, students, alumni and staff, and will hear from campus administrators and program alumni about the application process and Fulbright experience.

More information about the Fulbright Program is also available online.