Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Leads to Lecture Opportunity in China for Professor Liu

By Jeff Murphy, September 9, 2019

WARRENSBURG, MO – An opportunity to share his expertise with students in a classroom across the globe,  Li (Lee) Liu, a University of Central Missouri professor of geoscience, is spending the 2019-2020 academic year lecturing at Northeast Normal University in Changchun, Jilin province, China, as a participant in the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Liu’s selection was recently announced by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. After arriving in Beijing for an orientation at the U.S. Embassy in late August, he began serving in a project on Sustainability, Environment, and Health: Principles, Policy, and Management.

As a participant in the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, Liu is one of more than 800 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research, and/or provide expertise abroad for the academic year. Individuals who are selected for these awards are chosen on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as their record of service and demonstrated leadership in their professional fields.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program designed to build lasting connections between people of the United States and people in foreign countries. Funding for the Fulbright Program comes through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in 160 countries across the globe.

The program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late J. William Fulbright, a U.S, senator from Arkansas. Since that time, the program has provided more than 390,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all bakckgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Liu’s Fulbright award allows him to join a growing number of individuals in the program who have the opportunity to address critical global challenges in all disciplines, while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the United States’ long-term interests. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, and have earned impressive accolades for their work. Among the many recipients are 59 award recipients who received the Nobel Prize, 84 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

Liu is a faculty member in the School of Geoscience, Physics, and Safety in UCM’s College of Health, Science, and Technology. In addition to his interest in China, he also has special interests in sustainable development, demographic transition, economic geography, location theory, GIS, and map uses.

To learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, or the U.S. Department of State, visit https://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by calling 202-632-6452 or email ECA-Press@state.gov.