8 July 2013
Fulbright students welcomed to Scotland with fish, chips and ginger
Photo call: 5.30pm on Monday, 8th July at Castle Green, Broughty Ferry. US students will be tucking into fish
suppers and Irn Bru as part of their introduction to Scottish culture.
Students from one of the world's most prestigious international exchange programmes will be introduced to the joys of a
seaside fish supper washed down by Scotland's other national drink when they visit Dundee next week.
The University of Dundee and the University of Strathclyde have won a bid to host the first Fulbright Scotland Summer
Institute in a unique partnership between the two institutions.
Nine students from universities in the United States have won the chance to spend five weeks in Dundee and Glasgow for an
intensive programme of lectures, seminars and cultural visits on the theme 'Scotland: Culture, Identity and Innovation'.
The cohort will touch down in Scotland on Saturday, 6th July and will head to Dundee for a weekend of welcome events and
the chance to familiarise with their new surroundings before the programme begins in earnest on Monday. The students will
receive guided tours of the University campus and The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum before being taken to the
seaside suburb of Broughty Ferry.
They will be shown around the historic fishing village before visiting the 15th century Broughty Castle. Afterwards,
they will be treated to a fish supper and Irn Bru procured from one of the nearby 'chippers' to help immerse the American
visitors in a different aspect of Scottish culture.
The Fulbright-Scotland Summer Institute is being led by staff at the Centre for Archive and Information Studies (CAIS)
at Dundee in collaboration with historians in Strathclyde's School of Humanities.
CAIS's Patricia Whatley said she was delighted to be welcoming the Fulbright scholars to Dundee and to be showcasing the
city and local culture.
'We have a rich cultural tradition, which can be seen right up to the present day, with Dundee being shortlisted for UK
City of Culture 2017,' she said. 'An exciting academic and cultural programme of visits, talks and other events has been put
together which will immerse our visitors in Scottish culture and allow them to gain an understanding of our identity,
history and future.
'We will also be showcasing the internationally excellent research taking place here at the University, including a
day with Professor Sue Black's Forensic Anthropology team, as well as hosting a series of social events. Fish and chips
and Irn Bru might seem incongruous items on a cultural itinerary, but in fact these items help to tell the story of Scotland.'
The Fulbright students will stay in Dundee until Tuesday, 24th July when they will transfer to Strathclyde. During their
time in the city they will learn more about Scottish art, history, and popular culture as well as the country's natural history
and scientific contributions. Visits to St Andrews, Edinburgh, Stirling, Perthshire and Glamis, Balmoral and Dunottar
castles will also take place. Civic Receptions for the students will be held in Dundee and Glasgow.
The Fulbright Programme is the flagship educational and cultural exchange programme of the US Department of State
which promotes mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those in more than 155 countries. The
US Consulate in Edinburgh will host a reception for the students during one of two visits they will make to Edinburgh.
The successful bid to the US-UK Fulbright Commission for the three year programme was announced in 2012 following
the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Commission and the Universities of Dundee and Strathclyde.
Notes to Editors
- The US-UK Fulbright Commission was created by treaty in September 1948 to realise the vision of US Senator J William
Fulbright. Today, the worldwide Fulbright Programme operates in over 155 countries with over 300,000 alumni. Some
15,000 UK nationals have studied in the US and over 12,000 US nationals in the UK.
- Scottish Fulbright alumni include the former leader of the Liberal Democrats Charles Kennedy MP, crime writer Ian
Rankin, the Dundee-trained artist Simon Reekie, and Professor Sir Patrick Forrest, whose work led to the introduction of
the UK breast screening programme.
Fulbright Fast Facts
- 28 Fulbright alumni have served as head of state or government
- 11 Fulbright alumni have been elected to the US Congress
- 1 Fulbright alumnus has served as Secretary-General of the UN
- 43 Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have received the Nobel prize
- 78 Fulbright alumni have received Pulitzer prize
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
