Brandon Hamilton, a 2008 UALR graduate in philosophy, has won a prestigious Research Fulbright Fellowship in India. Hamilton, of Garfield in Benton County, will be studying Sanskrit and investigating theories of consciousness and the relationship between mind and body.

“I am always pleased when UALR students are awarded opportunities to further their education through international travel and research,” said UALR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson. “The Fulbright Fellowship will open doors for Brandon Hamilton that might otherwise have remained closed.”

UALR philosophy professors Stephen Farrelly and Andrew Eshelman mentored Hamilton and guided him through the Fulbright process, as did Professor Elizabeth Sherwin, UALR’s faculty representative to the Fulbright Foundation.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”

With this goal as a starting point, the Fulbright Program has provided almost 300,000 participants – chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential – with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by then-Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Approximately 294,000 “Fulbrighters,” 111,000 from the United States and 183,000 from other countries, have participated in the program since its inception. The Fulbright Program awards approximately 7,500 new grants annually.

Other UALR faculty serving on Hamilton’s evaluation committee included Wanda Dole, dean of the Ottenheimer Library; Professor Kenneth S. Gallant of UALR’s William H. Bowen School of Law; and Dr. Gary Anderson, professor in the Department of Applied Science.

“I hope this starts a tidal wave of students who pursue such prestigious awards,” Sherwin said.

For more information about post baccalaureate awards and fellowships, as well as help in pursuing similar fellowships, contact Sherwin at 501.569.3171.