On December 12, the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission organized its Winter Holidays Reception at Casa Oamenilor de Știință, in the presence of representatives of the U.S. Embassy, of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Fulbright Board of Directors, as well as U.S. Fulbright grantees, Romanian alumni and friends of the program.

On this occasion, Professor Nicolae-Victor Zamfir, President of the Fulbright Board of Directors, awarded the Honorary Title of Fulbright Director Emeritus to Prof. Rodica Mihăilă in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Fulbright Program in Romania and to the cultural and educational exchanges between Romania and the United States of America.

Ms. Abigail Rupp, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, thanked and congratulated Prof. Rodica Mihăilă for the leadership of the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission. Ms. Rupp handed Prof. Mihăilă a certificate of appreciation signed by Ms. Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, “in recognition of […] seven years of service as Executive Director of the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission.” “Your leadership and dedication have resulted in a significant expansion of the Fulbright Program, built a committed staff, and forged innovative partnerships with the Romanian public and private sectors. […] You have enhanced academic and cultural relations between our two countries, including as a Fulbright Scholar and as one of the founders of American Studies in Romania,” was said on the certificate of appreciation.

More photos are available on the Commission's Facebook page.

 

On December 4, Colin Cutler, current Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, gave a workshop on studying in the USA. Besides talking about U.S. culture and lifestyle, he discussed some of the requirements for Romanian students and scholars to study in the U.S. He is also working with French professor Thibaut Desmons on "My CV in 180 seconds", a workshop on preparing a CV and interviewing for jobs and academic activities. In the spring, he will be offering workshops on preparing materials for Fulbright applications--keep an eye on the university announcements (https://www.ulbsibiu.ro/news/)!

Michael Parisi-Mercado, PharmD Candidate at the University of Iowa, College of Pharmacy, and currently a Fulbright Student Researcher at Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, recently participated in “Career Days”, an event dedicated to the students from the Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences. On the occasion, Mike had the opportunity to talk about his Fulbright experience and to present the program as an opportunity for students to pursue upon graduation, presenting in detail the conditions and benefits of the program.

On November 28, Fulbright scholar dr. Mary Claire Heffron, clinical psychologist and researcher with vast experience in treating childhood trauma, talked to University of Bucharest psychology students about the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences and the theoretical underpinnings of the child-parent psychotherapy model. Dr. Heffron did an amazing tour de force by delivering three 2-hour lectures to a large group of graduating seniors as well as to three cohorts of graduate students in the experiential psychotherapy and psychotraumatology programs. The questions that the students asked touched on issues of prevention, treatment and social policy changes that affect individuals and groups faced with traumatic experiences, from historical trauma to postpartum depression. Dr. Heffron’s lectures highlighted a diverse range of manifestations of trauma, be it on the somatic, emotional, cognitive and/or behavioral level, ending with the immense cost that society pays for ignoring the impact and the prevalence of early life traumatic experiences.