When I was invited to consider a Fulbright-sponsored professorship at the University of Vienna during the fall of 1990, I chose to do that rather than to continue my deanship responsibilities at the City College of New York of the City University of New York, as I figured this experience could offer me further opportunities to support faculty and students.
We were both excited about our year in Vienna but also anxious about having a child born abroad. We wondered what health care would be like in Vienna, what it would be like being first-time parents, and what it would be like to live in a country where we didn't speak the language.
"Not only did my experience as a USTA allow me to hone my skills as an educator and learn more about the Austrian educational system, it also gave me a platform to expand my international education knowledge base, which I continue to draw on every day as one of the international admissions officers for Bennington College."
"Working on this puzzle, how landscapes influence rivers and fish, together in Seattle built bonds not only between scientists but also across our families..."
"On my second Fulbright, I was fortunate enough to go to Vienna, Austria, and work with wonderful people at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology. Again, the scientific research opportunities were wonderful, and I developed several great collaborations, but I was also fortunate enough to make friends with many people who also were interested in science, good food, and wine/beer!"
"First of all, my stay was exceptionally enjoyable both from a professional and private viewpoint while I was in the United States."
"I strongly believe that student exposure to the international aspect of science is crucial to their further development as scientists and citizens of the world. This is especially important considering the internationalization of research, and the highly collaborative aspect of the work."
"The city's white landmarks were soaked in sunlight. As my taxi driver and I made our way in the early morning hours through Vienna's serpentine streets, we unwound from the city center the same way the districts unfold, like the spirals of a shell. I traced the historic route around the Ringstrasse to find myself amidst the cultural crossroads that is Vienna."
"This stay has changed my life and created an openness for different cultures between the US and Europe (or Austria in my case)"
"In hindsight, ... the Fulbright scholarship program laid the foundation to it all."
"The Fulbright‐assisted US trip at the age of 26 was of high importance for my further career."
"For me as a young student of physics and math it was the experience of a lifetime ..."
"As an Austrian with a European identity I am practicing global technology innovation, and it all started with a Fulbright scholarship to the US in 1986. This scholarship enabled me to become a global citizen, pushing technology development across borders."
"Als "Fulbrighter" ist es gar nicht so einfach ein einziges Erlebnis herauszupicken um die Quintessenz, aber auch die unterschiedlichen Facetten, eines Fulbright-Austausches zu beschreiben..."
"Es war ein ausgesprochen charaktervoller Wagen, den ich in Seattle erworben hatte, und der meine drei österreichischen Kollegen und mich im Sommer 1957 um die ganzen Vereinigten Staten und Mexiko herumgeführt hatte..."
"Even after almost forty years, I am still happy about the advantages the year abroad in America brought to me and my whole family, especially the deep-seated language knowledge and abilities of our daughters...and it all began with the Fulbright Travel Grant in the year 1973"
"Together with other Fulbright scholars I was invited to go to Washington DC to attend a conference. I well remember Senator Fulbright addressing us, but soon excusing himself with 'Guys, I am sorry, but I must go up to Capitol Hill to see whether I can do something about the Vietnam War.'... "
"...a rather unique training for a wonderful professional life in a exceptional time of rehabilitation after war."
"Who else can tell to have witnessed so many remarkable events in one year of a lifetime."
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