Foreign Languages Professor Receives Prestigious Fulbright

        Joseph Wilson, Ph.D., professor of world languages and cultures at The University of Scranton, has been awarded a one-year faculty Fulbright to Kazakhstan in Central Asia beginning in the fall. This is the second faculty Fulbright for Dr. Wilson, whose first Fulbright took him to Albania in 2003.

        The Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government's flagship international exchange program. Each year, approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals are selected to participate in the Traditional Fulbright Scholar Program. The scholars lecture and conduct research on a wide range of academic areas.

        During his faculty Fulbright to what is ranked as the ninth-largest country in the world, Dr. Wilson will conduct research into oral poetic traditions and will teach classes in English and American studies at Ablai Khan University for International Learning.
 
        Dr. Wilson's interest in a country that, for most of its history, has been inhabited by nomadic tribes, dates back to his own  childhood.

        "I was always fascinated by the travels of Marco Polo, particularly in Central Asia, and I've always wanted to visit that area," says Dr. Wilson.

        Dr. Wilson has also been intrigued by the cultural diversity of this country, which broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991 to become an independent republic. A country rich in culture and tradition, Kazakhstan's national television features weekly oral improvisations on Saturday nights, making Dr. Wilson's research interests a natural fit.

        A resident of Scranton, Dr. Wilson joined The University of Scranton in 1985, and was named an assistant professor in 1987 and an associate professor in 1992 before being appointed professor in 1999. He has served as president of the University's Faculty Senate and secretary of the Faculty Affairs Council. Active in academic associations, he has served as secretary of the Pennsylvania Classical Association and was a member of the National Joint Committee on Classics in American Education of the American Philological Association. His writings and works are published widely.