Three University of Redlands seniors have won Fulbright awards to study abroad, marking the first time current students from the university have received the prestigious scholarship. 

Daniel Markus, of Orange, David Armstrong, of La Canada, and Ryan Wu, of Temple City, have been selected by the presidentially appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to receive Fulbright awards.

"Receiving one is a great achievement; having three is a tremendous recognition of our students, our faculty, and our success in international scholarship," said Professor Jack Osborn, the Hunsaker Chair of Management, who serves as a coach and advisor to university students interested in applying for a Fulbright. "This is high recognition for our foreign language and music programs, as well as our new global business major."

Fulbright alumni have become heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs, professors, and teachers.  Since its inception more than 60 years ago, approximately 300,000 Fulbright recipients have participated in the program and have been awarded 37 Nobel Prizes, according to an award letter from the scholarship board.

The grant is made possible through funds by the U.S. Congress and by contributions from partner countries and/or the private sector. Only 11 percent of Fulbright recipients are undergraduate students. 

These University of Redlands students will help fulfill the principal purpose of the Fulbright Program, which is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of more than 150 countries that currently participate in the program, according to the letter.

The Fulbright program will place Markus in Taiwan as an English teaching assistant for approximately one year where he will continue his study of Mandarin and Asian culture.

Markus has studied Mandarin with Assistant Professor of Asian studies Hongwei Lu and spent his junior year summer in Beijing, also studying Mandarin.

Markus is a global business major and member of the varsity basketball team, earning Academic All-American honors, and Redlands Scholar Athlete awards.  Ranked second on the team with 415 minutes played, Markus has led a successful career as the Bulldogs' top guard. 

"Daniel is a fantastic student-athlete and has been a significant leader and contributor to our men’s basketball program for the past four years.  We are very pleased that he has received this honor," said Athletic Director Jeff Martinez.

Markus will be listed in the 2008 edition of "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges," joining an elite group of college junior and seniors. 

"I really am so surprised and humbled that I was selected for this Fulbright award. The faculty were so helpful in the application process. This award is a testament to the quality of professors and administration here at the U of R," said Markus.

The scholarship will allow Armstrong to study in Berlin, Germany, for one year where he will be continuing research on immigrant studies.

Armstrong, a global business and German major, has previously received scholarships that have helped him study abroad. He spent his junior year in Vienna and Germany, which was made possible by the Robert McNeill International Business Scholarship and the Central College Abroad Vance Scholarship. Both scholarships are highly competitive and are designed to encourage education abroad.

Armstrong also had the rare opportunity of presenting research papers at Oxford University and the Copenhagen Business School the summer after his year abroad. Both papers were co-written with Peter Haiss, of the Institute of European Studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, who was one of Armstrong's professors.
 
Armstrong is the co-president of the on-campus group Quarters for Kenya, which is a project associated with the Redlands Rotary Club that focuses on raising funds to build sanctuaries and orphanages in Kenya through The Shepherd's Homes. Armstrong went to Kenya in the summer of 2007.

"I'm grateful for what the university has provided for me," said Armstrong. "This experience is surreal." 

 Wu, a music and German major, will study in Germany thanks to the award. He will be studying flute performance and teaching English at a high school in Germany, for which he will depart in August.

He has received the Presidential Scholarship, Music Merit Award and Academic Achievement Awards, and consistently made the Dean's List for his scholastic achievement. During his first two years at Redlands, Wu performed in two joint student solo recitals, participated in the Redlands Solo Concerto Competition, and has been a participant in the Redlands Bowl Young Artists' Auditions. He has also attended flute master classes given by prominent flutists.
 
Last year, Wu spent his junior year in Vienna, Austria, studying flute performance at the Prayner Conservatory of Music. At the same time he was enrolled at the University of Vienna in advanced German language courses.

In March 2003, Wu qualified for the advanced level in flute performance through the Certificate of Merit examination administered by the Music Teachers' Association of California. Wu is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, music honor’s society, and is listed in "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges" 2006.

"I am absolutely thrilled about spending a year in Germany. It's a great honor to be selected as one of the Fulbright scholars," he said.

###