Journal Article

Spatial patterns of Fulbright scholars of North Carolina: a meta-synthesis approach

Malhotra, Rakesh, Gordana, Vlahovic, Balasubramani, Karuppusamy

2025

Overview

North Carolina (NC) actively participates in the Fulbright Scholar program, a premier educational and cultural exchange initiative established in 1946 by the United States. The program provides opportunities for passionate and accomplished scholars from NC to visit over 160 countries and for NC institutions to host faculty professionals from around the world in diverse disciplines. This study aims to meta-synthesize the NC Fulbright database to decipher the spatial patterns of local institutes that have benefitted from the Fulbright program. Data were extracted from the Fulbright Scholar directory and split into three quarter-century periods (1949–1975, 1975–2000, and 2000–2024) across two spatial domains: worldwide and statewide. Cartographic methods were used to visualize these spatio-temporal patterns. The trend analysis reveals that the mean number of U.S. scholars who went abroad from the state increased from 12 (1949–1975) to 41 (2000–2024), with a doubling of countries travelled to (from 53 to 110 countries). While scholars from the state travelled all major continents, cultural exchanges with the global south, especially culturally diverse central African countries, were limited. Over the years, there has been a shift in the choice of world regions and disciplines away from developed European countries for Literature, History, and Political Science disciplines to emerging countries for Education, Engineering, and Law disciplines. The state has consistently received about 20 visiting scholars every year, primarily from emerging nations such as India, China, South Korea, and Argentina to the major universities in the Triangle region—such as the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University—these institutes continue to dominate both U.S. Scholar and Visiting Scholar fellowships (about 75%) in the state. This study underscores the need for a diverse approach in awarding U.S. Fulbright program opportunities, especially to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to enhance international educational and cultural exchange, especially with the global south.

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Argentina / Cartography / China / College faculty / Colleges & universities / Cultural awareness / Cultural differences / Cultural relations / Developing countries / Education / Environmental Management / Fellowships / Geography / Higher education / Historically Black Colleges & Universities / Human Geography / India / Institutes / LDCs / Multiculturalism & pluralism / North Carolina / Political science / politics / Regions / Scholarships & fellowships / Social Sciences / South Korea / Spatial analysis / Temporal patterns / Trend analysis