Sacramento State is not popularly known as a research campus. Generally, it is UC Davis that is known for research in the Sacramento area. This semester, three Fulbright scholarships have been awarded to Sac State instructors, enabling them to travel to foreign countries and conduct research. UC Davis received four Fulbright scholarships this year.

Susanne Lindgren, professor of biology, Patrick Cannon, associate professor of government, and Thomas Decker, lecturer of art, received the Fulbright scholarships at Sac State.

Alan Porter, a senior Sacramento city planner, said earlier this semester, “the days of research being tied to the UC schools are long gone.”

Porter was talking about a shift in increased building of research facilities at California State University schools, but the trend is being reflected in the faculty as well.

Professors with extensive backgrounds in research are being drawn to teach at Sac State. Lindgren moved to California to teach at the university.

“It was clear on my interview that I was going to have some pretty amazing mentors,” Lindgren said. She has been with Sac State for 11 years.

Lindgren has become a fully tenured professor at Sac State and was awarded the Outstanding Teacher Award in 2007.

Lindgren said the Fulbright scholarships are a prestigious honor for the recipients and for the campus.

“To have three Fulbright recipients in one year is huge,” she said. “It speaks highly of the institution.”

Lindgren will be traveling to Berlin to research and lecture at the Robert Koch Institute to research a newly identified E. coli bacterium that could be associated with colon cancer.

“How cool is that?” Lindgren said.

Cannon will be visiting Africa to research and lecture at the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Cannon has spent the last five years preparing and has made two trips to Africa as part of a “Fulbright haze group,” he said. In 2005, Cannon taught a summer course in Rwanda as a member of the Fulbright project.

Cannon has conducted research, lectured, and traveled extensively through Africa.

Cannon has been an instructor at Sac State for eight years.

“I came to Sac State because of the opportunity to teach what I wanted to teach,” Cannon said.

Cannon teaches international political economy, global and international relations, and African politics.

Decker has been in the Philippines this semester. He was not available for comment.

Decker is lecturing and conducting research on cross-cultural influences of contemporary ceramic artists.

Lindgren said because of the nature of the discovery she will be researching, she will have first-hand information for students when she returns.

“I will be learning new techniques and tools in Berlin,” Lindgren said. “It will be a really good experience for students to hear about.”

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Joseph Sheley said the benefits of receiving a Fulbright are far-reaching.

“The Fulbright experience offers a wealth of educational benefits to students both here and abroad, as well as to our nation and the nations that host our dedicated faculty,” Sheley said in an interview with the Sac State Bulletin.

The Fulbright program was created in 1946 by U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright with the goal of promoting “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world.”

The program sends about 1,000 U.S. instructors to foreign universities every year. The scholarship includes airfare and a small stipend, in addition to the educational opportunities for the instructor while overseas.

The application process for the Fulbright is lengthy and extensive.

The process can take up to a year to complete, and involves a multi-page document as well as letters of recommendation.

The Fulbright Foundation reviews applicants’ education and research backgrounds, and compares them to applicants chosen in previous years. The award is primarily merit-based, but not entirely, Lindgren explained.

Applicants’ personal lives are also screened because instructors participating in Fulbright programs are expected to act as representatives of the U.S. when visiting foreign countries.

“Their work is another example of our university’s growing international influence and leadership,” said Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez in an interview with the Sac State Bulletin. “Our students will benefit directly when these faculty members return to our campus.”

Derek Fleming can be reached at [email protected]