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FULBRIGHT U.S. & FOREIGN SCHOLAR PROGRAM RESOURCES FOR DEPARTMENTS

The Fulbright Program is a holistic value-add for academic departments at UC San Diego. UC San Diego, faculty, researchers, and academics who pursue Fulbright awards gain unique perspectives on teaching, research and education that enhance learning and research efforts when they return. Additionally,  through the Fulbright Foreign Scholar Program, UC San Diego hosts some of the world's foremost experts to conduct high-impact teaching and research. Through the exchange of Fulbright scholars, departments forge strong, fruitful global partnerships that can lead to long-term collaborations.
Departmental administrators and leaders such as chairs and vice chairs, human resources specialists, academic personnel analysts, and others play a crucial role in facilitating the inbound and outbound exchange of Fulbright Scholars. For those interested in how to best support Fulbrighters, review the information below. For additional information, contact UC San Diego's Fulbright Scholar Liaison.
 

Outbound Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awardees

Leave Types and Policies

The type of leave that a UC San Diego employee can use to pursue a Fulbright Award depends on multiple factors. UC San Diego's Academic Leave Policy is detailed in Policy and Procedure Manual (PPM)-230-10. 

Here are some general leave types that could be applicable to Fulbright Scholar awardees:
  • Sabbatical Leave -for Assistant, Associate of Full Professors that have accrued appropriate service time. ​​
  • Leave with Pay in Lieu of Sabbatical - for faculty appointments ineligible for Sabbatical, such as Professors in Residence, Salaried Adjunct/ Clinical Professors, or Lecturers with Security of Employment) that have record of past service/ sabbatical credits.  ​​
  • Leave from Professorial Duties to do Research - for employees under a research title, this leave would be paid from the grant funding. ​​
  • Change in Work Location (not considered leave) - for academics and staff that are going to be gone for up to 60 consecutive service says. Appointee's duties cannot be re-assigned, so this leave type is only applicable during a non-teaching quarter. ​​
  • Extended Leave Policy (with or without pay) - this leave type will be required if the employee's duties will need to be assigned. For academics who leave with pay, they may forfeit earning sabbatical credits for the period they are away. ​​
  • Leave without Pay- For anyone who is considered to be accepting visiting appointment outside UC San Diego.
When discussing different leave options with prospective Fulbright awardees, it is important that you inform them of any implications to benefits associated for each leave type.

Additional Support to Increase Application Competitiveness

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program applications are more competitive if the applicant can cite evidence of support that their institution will provide them during their Fulbright award. For example, some universities offer a small travel stipend for the scholar to travel to the country before the start of the award to arrange any logistics or start building connections for their teaching or research project. Alternatively, the travel stipend can also be used in-country to attend a conference or other professional development opportunity. Departments are strongly encouraged to identify ways to support Fulbright Scholar to make their applications more competitive. 

Inbound Fulbright Foreign Scholar Awardees

Opportunities to Host Visiting Scholars

The Fulbright Program offers many opportunities for UC San Diego to host visiting scholars from around the world. Visiting scholars are eminently qualified individuals who teach, research, lecture, and contribute their perspectives and enrich your department and campus. Here are some programs through which UC San Diego departments can host scholars:
  • Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program- The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program connects campuses around the world and introduces new ideas and networks to students, faculty, and administrators. More than 900 grants are administered each year to applicants from more than 100 countries to come to the U.S. to teach and/ or conduct research. 
  • Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program- The Scholar-in-Residence (SIR) Program provides universities the opportunity to host scholars from other countries to teach for a semester or an academic year. SIRs teach primarily at the undergraduate level, collaborate with faculty and administrators, and interact with the campus and local community. 
  • Outreach Lecturing Fund- The Outreach Lecturing Fund (OLF) provides funding for U.S. institutions to host Fulbright Visiting Scholars who are already in the U.S. for short-term speaking engagements. 
  • Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program- The Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program (FLTA) brings language teachers from abroad to U.S. institutions to teach their native languages to students. This program exposes students to native speakers who can provide contemporary cultural and linguistic instruction to increase fluency. FLTAs also serve as cultural ambassadors on campus, so students have the opportunity to interact with native speakers inside and outside of the classroom. 
  • Research Chair Positions- Research Chairs are pre-arranged affiliations that allow scholars to conduct research/lecture on subjects important to UC San Diego. The Chair collaborates with the department and campus to engage with campus and students, faculty and the broader community.  Research Chairs can guest lecture in university courses, mentor students, lecture in public venues, network, and promote their research, while representing the Fulbright Program, and their home and host institutions. Please note a Research Chair is only available through certain Fulbright Commissions. If you are interested in establishing a Fulbright Research Chair in your department, contact the Fulbright Scholar Liaison.

Completing the Institution Response Form

Inbound Fulbrighters must show evidence of sponsorship by UC San Diego for their Fulbright; Fulbright provides the prospective scholar with an Institution Response Form (IRF) that must be completed by the institution, certifying support of the scholar, prior to Fulbright issuing the scholar their DS-2019 for their visa. 
A departmental administrator will be responsible for completing the IRF and the Fulbright Scholar Liaison will review the form for accuracy and sign if needed. Here is some useful information for departmental administrators to complete the IRF:
  • Access to University Services Section: most of these services (work space, ID card, library access, laboratory and computer facilities, etc.) are at the department's discretion.
    • Access to Health Services- No,  campus health services are reserved for students.
    • On-Campus Housing- No, this is never guaranteed for any visiting scholar. You may mark "Yes" to Off-Campus Housing as it implies that the Fulbright Scholar can find their own accommodation.
    • ASPE/ Minimum Health Insurance Requirements- For scholars, yes, the Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) coverage provided to all Fulbright grantees is sufficient for UC San Diego. 
    • Scholar Eligible/ Required to Enroll in University Health Insurance- With the exception of Fulbright grantees who will be full-time employees at UC San Diego, Fulbright grantees are not eligible to enroll in university health insurance plans and therefore are not required to enroll. This information should be repeated in the "Cost" section. 
  • Cost Section:This section of the IRF will also be up to the department and the resources that they will provide to the Fulbright grantee. Please note that if the Fulbright Scholar's appointment is that of a Visiting Graduate Student (VGS), then the $100 recharge processing fee* must be reported. In the case of a Visiting Scholar appointment, there is no fee associated with this appointment type. Other fees,  such as a Recreation membership or Pronto transportation pass, can be listed but are not required. 

*Effective July 1, 2024, the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs is suspending the $100 VGS fee temporarily. Departments are requested to still enter chart string information in the VGS tool until the portal is updated. 

Visa Support and Appointment Types

Unlike other international scholars, Fulbright awardees do not need to be sponsored by UC San Diego to obtain a DS-2019 to receive their J-1 visa. However, each department is responsible for securing an appointment type for the Fulbright awardee. Review the Non-UC Visiting Graduate Students resource page and the Visiting Scholars page on Blink for more information. 

Post-Arrival: Register with the International Services & Engagement Office

Because the DS-2019 for Fulbright Scholars is not issued by UC San Diego, the International Services & Engagement Office does not have a way to effectively track and communicate with Fulbright Scholars while on campus. Therefore, we ask that scholars register with ISEO to communicate with them about important information that would pertain to them as an international scholar at UC San Diego.