Not just third, a tie for third. Just what competition did old State achieve mediocrity in this year? Well, the senior Fulbright Grants, of course! In spite of our best efforts at winning the whole thing, Penn State only garnered thirteen of the awards. Created in the 1940s by Senator J. William Fulbright of Alabama, back when Alabama still cared about education, the award seeks to promote “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world.”

This post will be updated when we find out just who beat us (If it’s USC, I will not be a happy man.).

Our Fulbright Scholars will be going to such diverse places as Malta, Finland, Lebanon, Chile, and Nepal. The award for the least glamorous locale would have to go to Cynthia Massie Mara, associate professor of health care administration and policy, at Penn State Harrisburg. She gets to research at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. Presumably, she’ll be looking at the idiosyncrasies of the Canadian healthcare system, but still… she definitely got the short, frigid end of the deal.

Updated: The California State University System had 22 winners. Additionally, the University of California System (different from the CSU System. What a huge state!) had 24 winners. The University of Texas System had 16 winners. Interestingly enough, the Fulbright website only has Penn State winning 11 awards? Did Penn State Live lie?

HT: Penn State Live