Raymond chosen for second European Fulbright
The head of Mississippi State's English department will spend the spring semester in Europe as a Fulbright Scholar.
Rich Raymond will teach 20th century American literature in the master's degree program at the University of Pristina in Kosovo. He also will assist the faculty with curriculum development and conduct research while at the Balkan university, according to an announcement by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
His research will explore the literacy histories of professors and graduate students to determine how their personal stories and their country's troubled history have shaped their views toward teaching and learning as ways to shape Kosovo's future.
A doctoral graduate of Miami University, Raymond also holds bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of Wyoming.
In 2003, he was selected by the U.S. State Department-sponsored program for a Fulbright grant to the University of Shkoder in neighboring Albania. His teaching experience there led to a book, "Teaching American Literature at an East-European University: Explicating the Rhetoric of Liberty" (Edwin Mellon Press, 2006).
Describing the first Fulbright experience as one of the most professionally fulfilling experiences of his career, Raymond expressed high expectations for the spring semester.
"It's exciting to teach these students American literature," he said. "It's the literature of liberty and the literature of slavery for people who grew up under communism."
The government's flagship international educational exchange, the Fulbright program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. Its primary funding source is an annual appropriation by Congress to the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Gary Myers, dean of MSU's College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of English and creative writing, said Raymond again will represent well the university and the college during his time in Southeastern Europe.
"Dr. Raymond is an outstanding administrator and teacher and an inquisitive scholar whose dedication to higher education has spanned many years," Myers said. "Receiving a second Fulbright validates his unflagging interest in the profession."
Fulbright recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievements, as well as on demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.
Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the program has given about 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
MSU associate professor Kelly Marsh will serve as acting head of the English department while Raymond is away.
Robbie S. Ward | University Relations
