Kayleigh Ward named Fulbright Scholar

August 25, 2019 - Karessa E. Weir

The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased to announce that Kayleigh Ward, PhD Student in Sociology at Michigan State University has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to Japan in sociology. Ms. Ward will conduct research with Green Farmers Miyagi Ltd and Place to Grow as part of a project to address the redevelopment of Tohoku communities following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake within the context of longer-term, ongoing demographic crises in rural Japan. Ms. Ward will be examining how and why redevelopment processes are affecting families, farmers, fishers, and other residents in the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture. Ms. Ward will be investigating how residents’ social capital may help them deal with problems of unemployment, depopulation, out-migration, aging, and industrial stagnation.

Ms. Ward is one of over 2,100 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English, and provide expertise abroad for the 2019-2020 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as their record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given more than 390,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbrighters address critical global challenges in all disciplines while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 59 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 84 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone at 202-632-6452 or by email at ECA-Press@state.gov.