CU-Fulbright student program gains success under Milton Esman

Professor Emeritus Milton Esman, who is stepping down as adviser to Cornell's Fulbright program, speaks with one of his former advisees, doctoral student Matt Salganik, at the Einaudi Center in Uris Hall, July 24. Frank DiMeo/University Photography

By Linda Myers

In 1997 Milton Esman, a former adviser to foreign governments and professor of government at Cornell for 20 years, began a third career -- adviser to Cornell's Fulbright program. He steps down from that position this August.

The program, which is run under the Einaudi Center for International Studies, has grown exponentially during Esman's tenure.

The national Fulbright program was created by the U.S. Congress in 1946 to foster international understanding through study and research. Administered by the nonprofit Institute of International Education (IIE), Fulbright's U.S. student program currently awards about 1,000 grants yearly and operates in more than 140 countries.

Seven years ago, there was no faculty adviser for Cornell students applying for Fulbrights, nor were the grants publicized on campus. Those few students who applied and won Fulbrights could be counted on the fingers of one hand, according to Einaudi interim director Gil Levine, professor emeritus of agricultural and biological engineering. Now all that has changed, with Cornell's showing on a par with peer institutions.

"This year we are among the highest, if not the highest, in the United States," Levine said.

Eighty seniors and graduate students applied, and 25 got the prestigious Fulbright grants to study and do research in 19 countries in 2003-04. Their subjects range from infectious disease in the Philippines to German-Jewish memories of education before Hitler.

"The first thing we tried to do was stimulate interest," said Esman of his initial efforts, which began under Levine and continued under past Einaudi Director Ronald Herring, professor of government. "Each fall, we held well-publicized informational meetings and blanketed the campus with brochures. We attracted a lot of interest among seniors seeking meaningful post-graduation involvement and graduate students looking to do field research for their dissertations."

The process of applying is lengthy and arduous, but a good adviser can help a student tightly focus a grant application, said Levine. Students began by discussing with Esman what they hoped to do overseas. He offered suggestions, or referred them to faculty members with expertise in their area of study. "Cornell faculty from all across campus have been extremely generous with their time, and many know researchers and institutions in the countries where the students want to go, " he said. The students then showed draft applications to Esman, who discussed their strengths and weaknesses, sometimes suggesting rewording to avoid cultural sensitivities.

"Out of that process comes a greatly improved application," said Esman. "You're competing nationally with some of the brightest students, the cream of the crop, and the number of Fulbright grants are limited, so it has to be pretty good if it's going to win."

Applications are then appraised and rated by a Cornell faculty committee that includes experts in those regions where the students hope to work. Their comments are part of the submitted application, which goes on to be reviewed by a national faculty panel assigned by the IIE. Those that pass that hurdle are forwarded to an "in-country" bi-national Fulbright committee, which chooses based on appropriateness and selects a list of alternates. By January the students learn whether they were recommended by the IIE. "Those accepted have a reasonably good chance of winning, but won't hear until May or June," said Esman.

"Professor Esman's help was invaluable," said 2003-04 Fulbright winner Chris Angevine '03. "He seemed to know the application process inside and out and was able to shape my application so that I would have the best chance possible." Angevine is now doing research on the socioeconomic effects of a pipeline intended to supply Qatar and the United Arab Emirates with their own natural gas.

Matt Salganik, a doctoral student in sociology and mathematics who won a Fulbright to do research with key theorists at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, said: "Professor Esman helped me get my proposal focused so it would be understandable by a more general audience. He also had been in Holland, spoke highly of it as a place to live and work and encouraged me to get involved in nonacademic life there. I joined a soccer team, traveled by bicycle and got to know people."

And Fulbright winner Alexandra Denes, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology, said: "Professor Esman helped me filter out jargon and clarify my language and offered support and encouragement." Denes is now doing research in Surin Province, Thailand, on recovering Khmer ethnic identity from the Thai national past.

"Our successes wouldn't have been possible without the help of many," said Esman, "but especially [executive staff assistant] Kay Rice, who deftly manages the enormous amount of paperwork involved and keeps the Fulbright office on schedule and on track."

Esman, the John S. Knight Professor of International Studies emeritus at Cornell, joined the government department's faculty in 1969, where he taught comparative politics. He also was director of the Einaudi Center for 14 years.

After earning an undergraduate degree at Cornell and a Ph.D. at Princeton, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II and helped draft Japan's current constitution as a military government officer. He was program director of the U.S. foreign aid mission in South Vietnam in 1957-59 and a senior government adviser to Malaysia's prime minister in 1966-68. Before coming to Cornell, he taught political science at George Washington University and the University of Pittsburgh. He has published eight books on government administration and ethnic politics and is currently working on a ninth, on ethnic conflict.

Starting this August, Harvey Fireside, a visiting scholar at the Einaudi Center, takes over the advisement of Cornell Fulbright applicants from Esman. "The Fulbright successes of Cornell students are a tribute to Milton," said Fireside. "He'll be a hard act to follow."

An informational meeting for students applying this year for Fulbright grants in 2004-05 will be held Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 4:30 p.m. in G08 Uris Hall. For information, contact Fireside at hff1@cornell.edu or at the Einaudi Center, 170 Uris Hall.

Read about the students who received Fulbrights and Fulbright-Hays grants for 2003-04.