Secondary Education professor receives Fulbright grant to work and study in Iceland

Sue Books, professor of secondary education at the State University of New York at New Paltz, will spend the fall 2009 semester in Iceland as part of the Fulbright Scholars Program.

At Iceland University of Education in the country’s capital of Reykjavik, Books will be lecturing and conducting research on a comparative study of school policies related to immigrant students.

“At this point in my career, I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to learn from others, especially those outside the United States,” she said. “I am looking forward to teaching in Iceland, to visiting schools, and to learning about the educational system there.”

Books joined the New Paltz faculty in 1993. She served as chair of the Secondary Education Department from 2002 to 2006. Her teaching focus has been on the social foundations of education. Books is the 16th New Paltz professor to receive a Fulbright Scholar Award in the last 25 years.

“Although we will miss her for the semester, the School of Education and I applaud Dr. Sue Books in receiving a Fulbright Award to study in the country of Iceland,” said Robert Michael, dean of the School of Education at New Paltz. “Dr. Books is truly a scholar and world traveler, as she has recently returned from studying and teaching in South Africa. Her students in her classes at New Paltz benefit from her work in other countries.”

Books received her Doctorate of Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; her Master of Arts from Drew University in Madison, N.J.; and her Bachelor of Arts from Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C.

The Fulbright Scholars Program provides U.S. faculty, administrators and professionals with grants to lecture, conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields, or to participate in seminars.