TAMIU Professor Named a 2023 Fulbright U. S. Scholar to Canada
A Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) faculty member has earned the rare distinction of being selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2023 for Canada.
Dr. Adam Kozaczka, assistant professor of English for TAMIU’s College of Arts and Sciences, department of Humanities, will be the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Arts & Humanities, based at the University of Alberta, a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Kozaczka is among a select cadre of 800 U.S. citizens who will teach or conduct research abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.
Dr. Kozaczka was notified of his acceptance by Ethan Rosenzweig, deputy assistant secretary for Academic Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Dr. Kozaczka’s research project, to be conducted over the Fall of 2023, examines how British and Canadian literary texts represented Canadian frontier communities, especially concerning how British colonial officials administered British law in places distant from Britain. He will rely on archival work in Alberta and elsewhere to achieve his research goals.
“I’m honored by this selection and thankful for the opportunity to represent TAMIU and Laredo as a Fulbright Scholar. It’s an exciting research opportunity, and I’m eager to contribute to academic knowledge in this area and forging new collaborations and friendships in Canada,” Dr. Kozaczka said.
In his letter to Kozaczka, Rosenzweig noted the expansive benefits of the Fulbright selection.
“The benefits of a Fulbright Scholar Award extend beyond the individual recipient. Fulbright Scholars raise the profile of their home institutions as well. We hope that Texas A&M International University can utilize Dr. Adam Kozaczka’s engagement abroad to establish research and exchange relationships, connect with potential applicants and engage with the institution’s alumni in the host country,” Rosenzweig wrote in his notification.
TAMIU bears the distinction of having authorization from the 74th Texas Legislature to develop joint degree programs with Mexican and Canadian institutions of higher education.
TAMIU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs Dr. Tom Mitchell lauded Dr. Kozaczka’s accomplishment.
“Being named a Fulbright Scholar is certainly among the highest honors in the academic tradition. Dr. Kozaczka is a remarkable faculty member, researcher, and scholar who inspires both students and fellow faculty members. We are delighted that his efforts and initiative are being recognized with this honor and look forward to his continued contributions here and beyond,” Dr. Mitchell said.
Dr. Peter Haruna, TAMIU professor and Fulbright Liaison, said the University is an avid Fulbright participant and aims to expand its Fulbright presence.
“Our medium-to-long-term goal is to make our University a Fulbright-friendly campus by sponsoring year-round events to promote its underlying principles and practices. We look forward to collaborating with Fulbright staff in the years ahead,” Dr. Haruna noted.
Kozaczka has been a member of the TAMIU faculty since 2019.
Born and raised in a bilingual English-Polish home in New York State, he earned his Ph.D. in English from Syracuse University, where he began an interdisciplinary project in law and literature, pieces of which are in print and in several academic journals including European Romantic Review and Studies in Romanticism.
Deeply invested in public humanities programming, he has received two Humanities Texas grants to facilitate virtual speaker events designed to promote and explore diversity in the humanities. Last April, Kozaczka was one of 12 distinguished Texas A&M University System faculty and professionals awarded the 2022 Chancellor's Medallion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
He was also named a recipient of a prestigious Gale-American Society for 18th Century Studies Non-Residential Fellowship, aimed at helping scholars expand the field of 18th Century Studies for research and teaching.
With his Fulbright selection, Dr. Kozaczka joins an elite group of current, former, and retired TAMIU faculty members who have been Fulbright Scholars. Among them are Dr. Rafic A. Bachnak, Dr. Susan Berdahl, Dr. Norma E. Cantú, Dr. Stuart H. Davis, Dr. Christian Faltis, Dr. Stanley Green, Dr. Barbara Hong, Dr. Mazhar M. Islam, the late TAMIU professor of history Dr. José Roberto Juárez, Julio Obscura, Dr. Aaron A. Olivas, and Dr. Jaime Ortiz.
Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide scholars with unique opportunities to teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbright Scholars also play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations. Fulbright alumni include 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and thousands of leaders and world-renowned experts in academia and other fields across private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants with research and teaching opportunities in over 160 countries. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government’s flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world.
Independent research and participant surveys indicate Fulbright exchange experiences lead to greater international co-publication, continued international exchange, and stronger cross-cultural communication skills.
For more on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, visit https://fulbrightscholars.org/us-scholar-awards
Registration for TAMIU’s Summer, and Fall 2023 is underway.
To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration.
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