Donna Brazile Visits NTC's Office of Fellowship Advising

Donna Brazile, a prominent political strategist, author, and New Orleans native recently sat down with  the Newcomb-Tulane College Office of Fellowship Advising. In her role as the Chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, Brazile learned that Tulane is a top producing Fulbright institution and wanted to find out more about our Fulbright student strategy.

Brazile's visit to Tulane University was part of her initiative to increase Southern students' participation in the Fulbright Program.

“We were honored to host Ms. Brazile in Newcomb-Tulane College and to share with her the processes our Office of Fellowship Advising has developed to recruit students and help them hone their applications. We were especially delighted to hear about her experiences as an educator, which she described as some of the most meaningful work of her life,” stated Interim Dean of NTC, J. Celeste Lay.

During the conversations, Brazile emphasized the importance of the Fulbright Program in promoting cross-cultural understanding and building relationships between the United States and other countries. She also highlighted the benefits of participating in the program, such as the opportunities to conduct research, teach, and learn in a foreign country with the financial backing of the Fulbright Program. Brazile also spoke about the challenges that Southern students face in accessing international opportunities, particularly students from historically marginalized communities. She noted that Southern universities often have limited resources for international programs.

Brazile wants to encourage other universities to prioritize international education and provide more resources and support for students interested in participating in the Fulbright Program. She also emphasized the importance of mentorship and community support in helping first-generation students and students of color to access these opportunities.

“Given the scale of Fulbright, it has tremendous potential to accelerate and transform the academic and career trajectories of grant recipients at Tulane, across the South, and beyond,” said Thomas Spencer, Director of NTC’s Office of Fellowship Advising. “It was thrilling to meet Donna Brazile and learn about her vision for expanding the reach of the program.”

The NTC Office of Fellowship Advising is proud to be a leader in increasing Southern student participation in the Fulbright Program and lowering the barriers that negatively impact a student’s ability to engage in global education and cross-cultural learning.