Jack Godwin, a Sacramento State administrator, scholar and author, has received his fourth Fulbright scholarship.

The Fulbright Specialist Program will fund his last scholarship of a three-week trip to Swansea University of Wales, United Kingdom.

“I am honored but I am also really disappointed because there’s a law, there’s a rule, about the maximum number you can have in a lifetime,” Godwin said.

A faculty member at Godwin’s academic level can receive a maximum number of two Fulbrights in a lifetime. However, since all of Godwin’s Fulbright programs overseas lasted less than three months, each Fulbright is considered a half, allowing Godwin to participate in a total of four short-term Fulbrights. These included programs in Germany, Hungary, Japan, and now Wales.

Godwin plans to go to Swansea in the spring of 2010. Although the exact dates have yet to be determined, Godwin is anticipating it to be in March. According to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars website, “The Fulbright Specialists Program promotes linkages between U.S. academics and professionals and their counterparts at universities abroad.”

While in Wales, Godwin will meet with officials of the local Welsh Assembly government to discuss international trade and economic development issues, as well as recruit Swansea students to study in California in conjunction with Sac State’s Global Education foreign exchange program.

Swansea is a perfect institution to host Godwin because it offers an American studies program. Interested students at the university are given the opportunity to study American politics, government, business, and economy.

The main part of Godwin’s Fulbright project will consist of lecturing on his new book, “Clintonomics.”

“It’s a political science book, despite the name. It’s a book about the political economy,” Godwin said. “I compare Clinton’s and Reagan’s governing philosophies relative to the challenges we face in the global era.”

The book took Godwin three years to complete.

“I write paragraphs while I’m shaving or driving or doing the dishes,” Godwin said.

International affairs is not a new area of expertise for Godwin. He got his start early when he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon, a country in west central Africa, from 1982 to 1984.

Currently, Godwin serves as chief international officer and director of the Office of Global Education at Sac State.

“Really, my job is to help other people to have a great international experience like the ones I’ve had; to help faculty, students, and administrators, fill out the competitive application, pick the right program, pick the right country and then go,” Godwin said.

Godwin explains that Fulbright scholarships are available for both graduate and undergraduate students, as well as faculty and professionals.

“International education is important for the same reason the Olympics are important. The U.S. record holder in whatever compared to the world record holder is a different standard. It’s a much larger stage,” Godwin said. “No matter what academic field you’re in, if you add an international component to it, you add a layer of complexity and a layer of competitiveness.”

Leanne Cameron, a graduate student majoring in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), agrees. Cameron and one other Sac State student left for Poland this past week, also on Fulbright scholarships. She thinks the Fulbright scholarship is a great opportunity for students and is very excited to begin her new adventure.

As for recognizing Godwin’s fourth Fulbright achievement, Cameron said, “I think it’s a great opportunity for him. It will bring more exposure to studying abroad. He definitely deserves it.”

Fulbright scholarships for students make it possible for them to go to many different countries. In these different countries they will most likely attend classes and participate in teaching assistantships as this depends on major and foreign language skills of the scholars.

“There’s really nothing better to do with your life. Traveling is fun but working abroad and in the kind of structure that the Fulbright program creates is fascinating,” Godwin said.

Godwin encourages everyone to apply for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I wish everybody could do this. Students and faculty should all spend time immersed in a foreign culture,” Godwin said. “I mean putting myself out there, competing, and winning or losing.”

Inna Gritsak can be reached at [email protected].