Two Marywood Fulbright Scholarship Winners Announced

A student and a faculty member learned that they are the latest Fulbright Scholarship winners from Marywood University. Katlyn Beaton, master of arts student in education and instructor in the foreign language department, and Barbara Parker-Bell, Psy.D., associate professor of art, just received notifications about their prestigious awards.

Ms. Beaton, Hawley, Pa., who applied for the award as a graduate student, is receiving a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Andorra, southwestern Europe, where she will teach for one year, beginning in August 2016. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in Spanish from Marywood University. Also, at the conclusion of the fall 2015 semester, Ms. Beaton earned her master of arts degree in education from Marywood University.

When she learned of the announcement from Fulbright, Ms. Beaton said, “I cannot fully express how blessed I feel to be awarded this amazing opportunity. I will be able to combine both my pedagogical and linguistic skills to teach English to high school students in Andorra. This is personally an outstanding achievement, but I know that I would not have been able to make it to this point without the continuous support and encouragement from my Marywood family.”

Dr. Parker-Bell, who teaches art therapy at Marywood University, was awarded a Fulbright Teaching/Research Scholarship at Tomsk State University, Siberia, Russian Federation. She will begin teaching and conducting her research during the fall 2016 semester. Dr. Parker-Bell said, “Being selected for the Fulbright is an honor and a very welcomed acknowledgement of my collaborative efforts with Tomsk State University in the Russian Federation for the past several years. I am looking forward to the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of professional considerations related to art therapy and to foster strong relationships with students and colleagues, so that collaborative work, including student and instructor exchanges, may continue well into the future.” The title of Dr. Parker-Bell’s research project is: Understanding and Supporting Development of Art Therapy Use in the Russian Federation.

Dr. Parker-Bell earned her bachelor of fine arts degree from The University of Michigan. She earned a master of arts and human development from Lesley College, Cambridge, Mass., her master of science in clinical psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; and her doctor of psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa.

The Core Fulbright Scholar Program provides approximately 800 teaching and/or research grants to U.S. faculty and experienced professionals in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. Ms. Beaton and Dr. Parker-Bell worked collaboratively with the Fulbright Committee at Marywood University.

Additionally, Marywood will host a Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Catherine Kanabahita Guma, from Uganda, who will present a lecture titled “Gender Mainstreaming in Higher Education Institutions in Africa.” She will share her experience as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at 6 p.m., in the Liguori Center. Following the lecture, a reception will be held to celebrate Marywood University’s Fulbright Scholars and to welcome Ms. Kanabahita Guma to the campus. This event is free and open to the public.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Programs offers research, study, and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students. In 1945, Senator J. William Fulbright introduced a bill in the United States Congress that called for the use of surplus war property to fund a program with the purpose of “promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science.” The Fulbright, today, is one of the most prestigious and competitive academic grant programs in the United States.

More information about Marywood’s Fulbright Scholarship Program