Communication Scholar Receives U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award to Slovenia for Research and Teaching

Assistant Professor Elizabeth Dorrance Hall, Ph.D., who works in MSU's Department of Communication, received a U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program award in May to work in Slovenia.

Announced by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, Dorrance Hall will research and lecture at the University of Ljubljana as part of a project to explore how families utilize communication to balance work and life in the U.S. and Slovenia. Her project is titled, "Balancing work and family: The mediating effect of support and communication on the relationship between work-family stress and wellbeing."

As a Fulbright Scholar, Dorrance Hall will share knowledge and foster meaningful connections across communities in the United States and Slovenia. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions.

"I am honored to be recognized by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Organization with this award. I look forward to meeting new colleagues and making long lasting connections between Michigan State University and the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia," said Dorrance Hall. "COVID-19 has pushed the boundaries of work-life balance for people all over the world and my research will contribute to our understanding of how families use communication to navigate our new normal."

Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, Fulbright Scholars share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad. As Fulbright Scholar alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 86 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals.

Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enabled more than 390,000 dedicated and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and find solutions to shared international concerns. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.

For more information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit https://eca.state.gov/fulbright.

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