Shenandoah University is pleased to announce that Astrid Sheil, Ph.D., dean of the Shenandoah University School of Business, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award for the 2023-2024 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
IEDC Bled School of Management in Bled, Slovenia
Dr. Sheil will serve with the IEDC Bled School of Management in Bled, Slovenia, beginning on Jan. 15, 2024, through July 1, 2024. She will work closely with Dr. Rok Ramšak, head of postgraduate studies and executive director of the World Institute for Sustainability and Ethics, and Giles Jackson, Ph.D., professor of stakeholder capitalism and the executive director of Shenandoah University’s Institute for Business, Sustainability and Society, to establish an ongoing research partnership between the two schools. Sheil will conduct research and lecture on operationalizing sustainability strategies in organizations.
Sheil is the ninth faculty member and the first administrator at Shenandoah University to win a Fulbright program award. She is among a select group of U.S. citizens who will teach or conduct research abroad for the 2023-2024 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. As such, Sheil will be expected to represent the best of the United States, acting as a citizen-ambassador, engaging with students, faculty, administrators and community members in Slovenia, and participating in cultural events at the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana. Upon her return, Sheil is expected to be a spokesperson for the Fulbright program and to encourage colleagues and students to study abroad.
Upon completing the program, Sheil will join a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Notable Fulbright alumni include 62 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and 41 who have served as a head of state or government. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries – chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential – with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world.
In the higher education community and beyond, a Fulbright is among the most highly coveted awards. Dean Sheil’s Fulbright program award recognizes her deep commitment to global citizenship and international exchange. This Fulbright award is an honor for her and for all of us here at Shenandoah.”
Shenandoah University President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.
More than 800 U.S. scholars — faculty members, artists, and professionals from all backgrounds — teach or conduct research overseas through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. In addition, 2,000 U.S. students, artists, and early career professionals from all backgrounds in more than 100 different fields of study receive Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards annually to study, teach English, and conduct research overseas.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program. In the United States, the Institute of International Education supports the implementation of the Fulbright U.S. Student and Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, including conducting an annual competition for the scholarships.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org.
Learn more about Shenandoah University business programs at su.edu/business.
