Blair McElroy
OXFORD, Miss. – The head of the study abroad program at the University of Mississippi has received a Fulbright award to South Korea to create a stronger connection between the university and the country.
Blair McElroy, director of the university’s study abroad program and UM interim senior international officer, was awarded a grant to attend a two-week International Education Administrators seminar in June in South Korea. The grant is made possible through funds appropriated annually by Congress.
“I am delighted and proud to be selected as one of the eight grantees,” McElroy said. “I am excited to experience the Korean culture firsthand as part of a group of passionate individuals in the field of international education.”
The purpose of the seminar is “to create and deepen institutional connections to Korea through visits to universities and meetings with faculty, administrators and government officials,” McElroy said.
“These visits and meetings will enhance UM’s current program offerings in Korea by structuring strategic partnerships in academic areas. The seminar will also increase my knowledge of Korean culture, which will assist in advising students for study in Korea, enhance connections to our current Korean students on campus and, personally, increase my intercultural competence – one can never have enough.”
Typically, the seminar includes a week around Seoul, South Korea, visiting universities and institutions. The second week is generally spent outside Seoul. The seminar also includes tours of historical and cultural sites.
“I am thrilled that Ms. McElroy has been given this opportunity to travel to South Korea and work to expand her expertise and our community’s connection to that country,” UM Provost Noel Wilkin said. “We have a goal to educate and engage global citizens, which entails increasing study abroad and expanding faculty engagement abroad.
“In addition to being an honor for Blair, this award will enable her to advance this goal and build connections to enable these activities.”
After returning, McElroy said she will pursue the goals outlined in her project statement, which includes workshops for faculty and staff on intercultural communication and partnerships in Korea, development of faculty-led programs to Korea and support of events where domestic and Korean students can connect.
“I hope that through these goals we will increase the number of students studying in Korea, especially students who are not currently studying Korean language at UM, and encourage cultural exchange through study, teaching and research,” McElroy said.
A native of Jackson, Tennessee, McElroy earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies, minoring in Chinese and French, from Ole Miss in 2002. She is a graduate of the Croft Institute for International Studies and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. She earned her Juris Doctor from the UM School of Law in 2006.
During her academic career, she studied overseas in Beijing for a semester, and at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. She joined the study abroad office in 2006.
According to Jeffrey L. Bleich, chair of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the Fulbright program “aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, (and) is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.”
“As a Fulbright recipient and a representative of the United States, you will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with international partners in educational, political, cultural, economic and scientific fields,” Bleich said in a letter to McElroy announcing the award. “We hope that your Fulbright experience will be deeply rewarding professionally and personally, and that you will share the knowledge you gain with many others throughout your life.”