This information session provides prospective U.S. applicants with an in-depth look at the Fulbright Specialist Program and the opportunity to hear from a panel of Fulbright Specialist alumni who completed projects in the field of Communications and Journalism:
Alumni panelists:
Beth Michalec is a full-time faculty member and internship coordinator in the Corporate Communication Department at Penn State University Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) located in Center Valley, PA. She earned her Ph.D. in Rhetoric in 2020 from Duquesne University’s Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies. Her doctoral work included dual emphases in integrated marketing communications and the rhetoric and philosophy of technology, as well as a special interest in communication ethics. She has presented multiple single-authored papers at state, regional, national and international conferences, and her diverse research interests include corporate social responsibility, philanthrocapitalism, integrated marketing communication, social media, crisis management, and the ethical intersection of the public and private spheres of communication and innovation. Prior to her career in academia, Michalec served as program manager and executive director of the Robert H. Mollohan Family Charitable Foundation. She served as a Fulbright Specialist at the University of Zagreb in Croatia in 2022.
Doug Mitchell is the Founder and Director of NPR's Next Generation Radio. Officially named in 2000, the program is a 5-day audio-focused, digital media "sprint." That means each selected cohort spends a week with a mentor, creating a short form, non-narrated audio story, writing two pieces, producing video pieces, and sharing their work via various social media tools. Since 2013, the project has had 400+ alumni that are 72% women and 75% people of color. Roughly 40% of our alumni work in non-profit media, with seven working for NPR as full-time employees.
Doug spent 21 years as a producer and show director for NPR and has been an adjunct professor with the Newmark School of Journalism at CUNY and the Georgetown University Master's in Journalism program. Also, he's done three international fellowships, each time to Chile. He served as a Fulbright Specialist at Catholic University in Chile in 2007.