"I'm very excited about the Fulbright award, and the ability to do this research," Dr. François said.  "I like to expand my knowledge for my own intellectual curiosity and for education purposes.  The opportunity to be in another country, work with other people and learn with them is very exciting to me.  I am anxious to learn about their culture and their languages.  It will be physically, linguistically and culturally an interesting crossing of different borders."

The traditional Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. Grantees lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Under a cooperative agreement with the Bureau, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) assists in the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Program. 

Dr. François (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D., New York University) has served as the Chair of the Language Department at Eastern University for the past three years and has been teaching for nine years.  She has taken several mission and cultural trips with Eastern students to Haiti, Argentina and Bolivia, and has been serving as a board member of The Arts and Spirituality Center in Philadelphia, PA, since 2002.

Aside from French language and literature, Dr. François' areas of expertise include Francophone Caribbean and African literature, postcolonial literature, women's studies, and the translation of English, French and Haitian Creole.  She has worked for the College Board for the scoring of AP French essays, and is a member of the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language, Conseil International d'Études Francophones, and Modern Language Association. She has also authored publications and has presented numerous lectures and conference papers. 

Dr. François sees her Fulbright as an opportunity to make connections and foster cultural and educational exchanges while she is overseas.  As a representative of Eastern University, she hopes to be a spokesperson to teach others about the University and American culture. "I would like to find some opportunities for Burkina Faso's students to come to Eastern and continue to learn," Dr. François said.  "I really want to make a connection with the people in Burkina Faso, learn about their culture and teach them about mine."

For more information about Eastern University's Languages Department, visit: www.eastern.edu/academic/cas/depts/languages/index.html

For more information about the Fulbright Scholar Program and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars,

visit:  www.cies.org