UCI named among inaugural cohort of Fulbright HSI Leaders by State Department unit

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 27, 2021 — The University of California, Irvine has been named an inaugural Fulbright HSI Leader by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The newly created designation recognizes the noteworthy engagement that selected Hispanic-Serving Institutions have achieved with the Fulbright Program, the federal government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

UCI is one of 35 HSIs to receive this distinction, announced today during an international plenary session at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ 35^th annual conference. All have been highly involved with Fulbright participants during the 2019 to 2021 academic years and have promoted Fulbright opportunities on campus.

“This recognition underscores UCI’s ambition to be the nation’s leading Hispanic/Latinx-thriving university,” said former Fulbright scholar Douglas M. Haynes, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion at UCI. “As a top 10 public research university, we are uniquely positioned to transform the professoriate and knowledge workforce of the future.”

HSIs are colleges or universities at which Hispanic students make up at least 25 percent of the full-time-equivalent student body and at which at least half of all students receive financial aid, according to the U.S. Department of Education. UCI secured HSI designation in 2017 and is one of only four member campuses in the Association of American Universities – which includes the country’s leading research institutions – to have HSI status. This means that UCI faculty, staff and students are eligible to apply for minority-serving institution grants, internships and partnerships.

The Fulbright Program was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Founded 75 years ago, it’s active in more than 160 nations worldwide and partners with participating governments, host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and the United States.

The new designation is part of the U.S. Department of State’s longstanding commitment to build diversity and inclusion within the Fulbright Program and all the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ international exchange programs.

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

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

About UCI’s Brilliant Future campaign: Publicly launched on Oct. 4, 2019, the Brilliant Future campaign aims to raise awareness and support for UCI. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UCI seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. Learn more by visiting https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/areas-to-support.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.