Queensborough Named a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Scholars
Queensborough Community College is yet again a top producer of Fulbright scholars. The Fulbright grant was for September 1, 2018 through January 5, 2019.
Fulbright scholar, Dr. Jilani Warsi, is a Professor in the Department of English at Queensborough. He traveled to India in July 2018 where he spent two months in Kolkata and New Delhi, capital of India, giving lectures at Loyola College and Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and four months at Patna University teaching college reading and writing skills to Hindi-speaking post graduate students studying for a Master’s in English.
The Fulbright Program is a highly competitive, merit-based grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and operates in over 125 countries throughout the world. The program was founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946 with more than 380,000 people participating in the program since its inception. Excellence in teaching and global engagement are key priorities of UNCW’s Strategic Plan.
“This was the opportunity of a lifetime to share my acquired knowledge and expertise in language teaching and learning with Indian faculty and students,” said Warsi, who was born, raised, and educated in India and received a Master’s in English from Patna University before immigrating to the U.S. for higher education. “The students I worked with were extremely eager to expand their knowledge further; to produce sophisticated written work; and to experience collaborative learning to gain the confidence to speak up and to speak out.”
Warsi also held numerous workshops with faculty members from different disciplines, primarily focusing on assessment methods and tools and to discuss critical thinking skills and how to teach to post graduate students.
“We are all proud of Dr. Warsi’s outstanding accomplishment,” said Dr. Timothy G. Lynch, Interim President of Queensborough Community College. “An award of this caliber is a reflection of the scholarship and commitment of Dr. Warsi and underscores the fact that Queensborough provides a quality education under the guidance of our outstanding faculty.”
More than 80% of Queensborough’s full-time faculty hold doctoral or terminal degrees, three times the national average.
Another recent Fulbright went to Dr. Simran Kaur, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Geology at Queensborough, who shared her expertise in the science of teaching and learning with educators and students in India.
Warsi added, “I am a different educator because of this experience. I am further dedicated to instilling confidence in my students here to take pride in their cultural values and develop the critical thinking-ability to challenge ideas, express their own opinions, and apply what they learn in the classroom into their lives. I believe my course, which taught Indian students through the combination of holistic and skills-based approaches, helped them become independent, confident, and lifelong readers and writers.”
Dr. Warsi expressed his deep gratitude to Dr. Simran Kaur, Professor, Biological Sciences and Dr. Meghmala Tarafdar, Assistant Professor, English, for their ‘nurturing collegiality’ and also to the administration, especially Dr. David Humphries, Interim Assistant Dean of Faculty, for his unwavering support.
Queensborough Community College (CUNY) is considered one of the best two-year schools in the nation, offering a world class, low-cost public higher education. In fact, ninety percent of Queensborough students graduate without Federal student loan debt.
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