School of Education faculty member earns Fulbright Specialist Award
Mathew Swerdloff, adjunct professor in the School of Education, has been selected as a 2021 Fulbright Specialist. Specialists represent a wide range of professional and academic disciplines and are competitively selected to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster based on their ability to make a significant contribution to projects overseas.
“I am so honored to have been selected for a Fulbright Specialist Grant,” said Swerdloff. “This award will allow me to work closely with teachers and students to enhance instruction, pedagogy and curriculum. I am excited to work collaboratively towards improved outcomes for students.”
The Fulbright Specialist Program is a unique opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of State for academics and established professionals to engage in project-based exchanges at host institutions across the globe.
Once COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted, Swerdloff will teach at the Central University of Kerala in Kerala, India, where he will work with pre-service teachers on instructional practices and higher education faculty on pedagogy and uses of instructional technology. Swerdloff will host technology hands-on workshops for professors on ways to support remote and hybrid learning and evaluate technology infrastructure and develop plans for improvement as warranted.
As part of the program, he will also visit two other universities in northern India as a guest lecturer.
“The timing of this award is most fortuitous, with the implementation of the new National Education Policy across India,” said Swerdloff. “Much of what I bring is based on the many experiences I have had working as an adjunct professor with future school leaders in the SUNY New Paltz Educational Administration Program.”
In 2013, Swerdloff was awarded a Fulbright Specialist grant to travel to Santiniketan, India, where he offered lectures and workshops to students and staff at Visva-Bharati University and several other schools in the states of Bihar and West Bengal.
ABOUT THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAM
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational and cultural exchange program, creating connections in a complex and changing world. Led by the U.S. government in partnership with 160 countries worldwide, Fulbright builds lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries—building mutual understanding between nations, advancing knowledge across communities, and improving lives around the world. Learn more online.