North Park University is proud to be named one of the 50 Fulbright HSI Leaders for 2024. Each year since 2021, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recognizes select Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for their robust engagement with the Fulbright Program, the United States government’s flagship international academic exchange program. It is North Park’s first time receiving the honor.
Since she started in 2020, North Park’s Director of the Office of International Affairs Tessa Zanoni has advised 18 applicants for the program, three of whom received Fulbrights to Taiwan, Finland, and Jordan. Four additional students have been named semi-finalists.
“As a Fulbright alumna myself, serving as the program advisor has been a full-circle
experience,” Zanoni said. “It’s been gratifying to grow the program and help students receive nationally competitive and life-changing awards.”
Fulbright HSI Leaders demonstrate noteworthy support for Fulbright exchange participants and encourage administrators, faculty, and students at HSIs to engage with Fulbright on campus. The Fulbright HSI Leaders Initiative also highlights the strength of HSIs as destinations for international students and scholars.
Two North Park professors have also received recent Fulbright awards. In 2022, Dr. Dennis Bricault received a Fulbright Scholar Award to the International University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan. In 2023–24, Dr. Lida Nedilsky received a Fulbright Scholar Award to the University of Warsaw in Poland.
Senior Bureau Official Scott Weinhold of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs commended the 2024 Fulbright HSI Leaders for supporting the Fulbright Program: “Fulbrighters from HSIs contribute to the program’s goal of reflecting the full diversity, perspectives, and talents of the American people,” Weinhold said.
North Park University is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st-century America.