Roger Williams Student Receives Prestigious Fulbright Award
BRISTOL, R.I., April 2008 – When Roger Williams University student Adrianne LaFrance received an e-mail last year informing her that she had won an award to study abroad in Germany, she was thrilled. Five days later, an e-mail arrived saying she, in fact, did not win—a clerical error caused her to receive the wrong notification.
So when Ms. LaFrance received an e-mail in April declaring her recipient of the prestigious Fulbright award, she contained her enthusiasm until she received the Fulbright Program’s official award letter in the mail.
“I’m absolutely going to frame it and put it on my wall forever,” said Ms. LaFrance of Montville, Conn. “I never would have imagined I would ever get it. It’s kind of the biggest thing that’s ever going to happen to me besides getting married!”
With the award, Ms. LaFrance—who will graduate from RWU in May with a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages—will finally get her chance to live abroad in Germany to begin work on her Fulbright proposal, “Resuscitation vs. Recitation: The Effects of Teaching Latin as a Living Language.” The grant will cover travel expenses, housing, funding for research and a monthly stipend for one year.
“Adrianne is the type of committed, passionate student that makes Roger Williams University such a stimulating place to learn,” said University President Roy J. Nirschel. “We’re proud to call her our second Fulbright recipient, and we have no doubt that she’ll move on to great success in the years ahead.”
Working closely with members of the classics and anthropology faculty at the University of Leipzig, Ms. LaFrance will explore how the absence of conversational Latin in a classical studies curriculum affects students’ perceptions of ancient Rome and Roman culture. Ms. LaFrance—who is fluent in German, French, Greek and Latin—chose to research in Germany because it is regarded as the epicenter for classical studies.
Anthony Hollingsworth, associate professor of foreign languages at RWU, provided guidance about the Fulbright application process to Ms. LaFrance, as well as to RWU alumnus Jason Pedicone who received a Fulbright award in 2004.
“After Jason won, I thought it may have been just luck for the department and Roger Williams,” said Professor Hollingsworth, also a previous Fulbright recipient. “With Adrianne receiving a Fulbright, it really shows that our students are becoming more and more competitive.”
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program is considered one of the most prestigious award programs that provides grants for international educational exchange for scholars, educators, graduate students and professionals. Fulbright alumni include Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, governors and members of Congress, ambassadors and artists, prime ministers and heads of state, university faculty, scientists, CEOs and Supreme Court justices.