Tag Archives: Chicago

Ronald Harvey elected President of the Chicago Chapter for 2013

Posted on February 4, 2013 by | Leave a comment

AFTER SERVING AS the Chapter’s Secretary for the past two years, Ronald Harvey was recently elected President of the Chicago Chapter of the Fulbright Association, succeeding Elio Leturia.

Ronald Harvey

Ronald Harvey

Ronald Harvey, MA,  who did his Fulbright in Bulgaria in 2009-2010, is a PhD candidate in Community Psychology at DePaul University. He is also a Project Director of a multi-year NIH-funded research project investigating alternative aftercare settings in the U.S. for ex-offenders with a history of substance abuse.

His area of expertise is substance abuse aftercare settings and community re-integration of recovery communities in the United States, Eastern Europe, the U.K., and Kenya. While abroad on his Fulbright he  conducted a needs assessment and feasibility study for creating recovery homes in Bulgaria.

Ron has authored or co-authored of a number of peer-reviewed journal articles and presentations at psychology conferences in the U.S. and Europe.  Prior to pursuing is PhD, Ronald had an 18-year professional career beginning as a software developer, and 10 years as an IT manager at a global investment bank.

Ron is a graduate of the Second City Improvisation Program in 2012. His hobbies and interests include playing guitar, reading, classical music and ballet, attending theater, and observational astronomy.

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На здоровье, 干杯, cheers, salud, bottoms up!

Posted on January 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment
Ana GIl García opened her house to receive scholars from China and Russia during a dinner on January 18

Ana Gil García opened her house to receive scholars from China and Russia during a hospitality dinner on January 18

LIKE EVERY YEAR, WorldChicago organizes dinners hosted by Chicagoans who open their homes to welcome Fulbright scholars.

This year an international menu was shared on January 18, 2013 during a dinner hosted by Chicago Fulbright board members Ana Gil García and Elio Leturia.

Ají de Gallina, a typical Peruvian dish, was shared at the Fulbright dinner

Ají de Gallina, a typical Peruvian dish, was shared at the Fulbright dinner

Among the guests there were Lin Chen, a Fulbright scholar from Shanghai, China, who is doing research at the University of Chicago in the Department of Comparative Literature, and Tatiana Venediktova from Moscow, Russia, who is a Literature and Cultural Studies scholar at the same university in the Department of English. Lin Chen came with her son Jingli Cheng and Venediktova brought her husband Evgeniy Dugin, who is a professor at the Academy for Advanced Studies in Journalism in Moscow.

This was truly an international dinner. Among the dishes shared were a Venezuelan chicken and cassava soup, a Peruvian Ají de Gallina, and a “quesillo” (Venezuelan flan.) To wash everything down everybody enjoyed an authentic Spanish Sangría, and with dessert, Armenian Cognac and Italian Limoncello.

Ana Gil García, Judith Yturriago, Tatiana, husband, Cheng, Richard Follet and his wife Jill, Ronald Harvey and Lin Chen.

Ana Gil García, Judith Yturriago, Tatiana Venediktova, Evgeniy Dugin, Jingli Cheng, Richard Hallett and his wife Jill, Ronald Harvey and Lin Chen.

Among the guests there were Northeastern University professor Judith Yturriago, Chicago Chapter board member Ronald Harvey (who did his Fulbright in Bulgaria) and Richard Hallett, a Fulbright scholar in India, who came with his wife Jill and their son Julian.

Ron Harvey, Tatiana Venediktova, Lin Chen and Ana GIl García

Ron Harvey, Tatiana Venediktova, Lin Chen and Ana Gil García

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Columbia College Chicago hosts 2012 Winter Holiday event and Dee Sarelas Service Award Ceremony

Posted on January 21, 2013 by | 1 comment
Over 90 people participated on the 2012 Winter Holiday event

Over 90 people participated in the 2012 Winter Holiday event

ON DECEMBER 7, 2012, OVER 90 people attended the Winter Holidays Reception and the 2012 Dee Sarelas Service Award Ceremony that took place in Columbia College Chicago.

It was a night of camaraderie and enthusiasm.

In this opportunity Fulbright scholars came with their families and had the chance to interact with Fulbright students, Fulbright alumni and several representatives from the Consular Corps.

Nancy Day, Chairperson of the Journalism Department at Columbia College Chicago welcomes the audience

Nancy Day, Chairperson of the Journalism Department at Columbia College Chicago welcomes the audience

Nancy Day, chairperson of the Journalism Department at Columbia College Chicago and a Fulbrighter to Russia welcomed the participants. After being introduced by Elio Leturia, president of the Chicago Chapter and an associate professor at Columbia College, Day remembered the significant experience she had during her time abroad and encouraged the foreign students to explore Chicago and enjoy their stay in the Windy City.

Fulbright scholars attended the event with their children

Fulbright scholars attended the event with their families and children

Lexy Gore from WorldChicago was among the guests and acknowledged the fact that this gathering had offered the chance to bring students, scholars and alumni together. “This is a great event,” she said.

A Columbia College Chicago Jazz trio entertained the audience with beautiful music celebrating the holidays.

The Dee Sarelas Service Award Ceremony also took place that night. This is the third edition of the award that honors Dee Sarelas.

Thomas Ahleman, vice president of the Chicago Chapter presents the award to Dr. Ana Gil García

Thomas Ahleman, Vice President of the Chicago Chapter and 2011 Dee Sarelas Service Award recipient presents the award to Dr. Ana Gil García

Dr. Ana Gil-García was the 2012 recipent of the Dee Sarelas Service Award

Dr. Ana Gil-García was the 2012 recipent of the Dee Sarelas Service Award

Dr. Ana Gil García, a professor at Northeastern University was given the award, which was presented by Thomas Ahleman, vice president of the Chicago Chapter and last year’s winner. Gil García shared with the audience her memories of Dee Sarelas, a Fulbrighter to Greece who started the Chicago Chapter years ago. Gil García eloquently explained the efforts of Sarelas in bringing together the Fulbright community in Chicago.

“I am deeply honored to get this award,” Gil García said.

Gil García, who was also a president of the Chicago Chapter during the years 2007 and 2008 had come back from a visiting professorship abroad in Egypt where she continued her efforts with the Book Partnership program, an initiative that donates books to schools and universities around the world, which she started five years ago.

Dr. Ana Gil García with Amy Segami and Judith Yturriago

Dr. Ana Gil García with Amy Segami and Judith Yturriago

Dr. Ana Gil García and Ronald Harvey, Secretary of the Chicago Chapter

Dr. Ana Gil García and Ronald Harvey, Secretary of the Chicago Chapter

Columbia College Journalism Department Chairperson Nancy Day and Fulbright alumni

Columbia College Journalism Department Chairperson Nancy Day and Fulbright alumni

Norma Green with Linda and Frank Gruber

Norma Green with Linda and Frank Gruber

Marilyn Susman, 2010 Dee Sarelas Service Award recipient and her husband

Marilyn Susman, 2010 Dee Sarelas Service Award recipient and her husband

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

A Columbia College trio played jazz music at the Holiday event

A Columbia College trio played jazz music at the Holiday event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Students, scholars, alumni and guests enjoying the event

Photos by Ronald Harvey

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Winter Holidays Reception and Dee Sarelas Fulbright Service Award Ceremony at Columbia College Chicago

Posted on November 14, 2012 by | Leave a comment

THE CHICAGO CHAPTER OF THE FULBRIGHT ASSOCIATION and the Institute of International Education (IIE)  invite you, your family, colleagues and friends to attend our end-of-the-year Winter Holidays Reception (with live music!) and the 2012 Dee Sarelas* Fulbright Service Award Ceremony.

WHEN Friday, December 7, 2012
TIME 6:30 – 9 pm
WHERE Columbia College Chicago, 618 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60605, Second floor (Stage 2)

COST $20
Free to Fulbright students and scholars.
RSVPs are required.
Please R.S.V.P. using the online form or email Ron Harvey at fulbrightchicago@gmail.com by December 3, 2012

*Aphrodite Floros Sarelas, an early Fulbrighter to Greece. A Chicagoan dedicated to interacting with and nurturing Fulbrighters in the Chicagoland community, Dee was a person remembered for her wit, empathy, and vivacity in bringing people across cultures together. Her educational background and professional experiences in the field of Social Work prepared her well for contributions to our chapter and beyond—as an administrator for the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army Training College, as a liaison at White House conferences, as a special consultant to Voice of America, and as editor of Social Welfare in Underdeveloped Countries (United Nations publication). For the foregoing reasons, the Dee Sarelas Fulbright Service Award has been established in her memory.

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Native American Presentation and Dance Show for International Education Week

Posted on October 23, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Black Hawk Performance Company

THIS NOVEMBER 17th,  the Chicago Chapter of the Fulbright Association is partnering with WorldChicago to celebrate International Education Week.

What is different? We will do it with a music and a dance show by the Black Hawk Performance Company and a stellar presentation: “NATIVE AMERICAN PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY IN THE U.S.” given by Dr. Dorene Wiese, featured in the Chicago Tribune as a Remarkable Woman.

Dr. Dorene P. Wiese

Dr. Dorene P. Wiese, who is President of the American Indian Association of Illinois will give an overview of traditional American Indian knowledge transmission and the status of American Indian education in the past and today.

The Black Hawk Performance Company seeks to honor the many tribes who have made Illinois their home, for centuries or if only for a little while. Black Hawk is one of the most famous American Indian leaders among the Great Lakes tribes.

 WHAT “NATIVE AMERICAN PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY IN THE U.S.” Presentation and Black Hawk Performance Company Dance Show

WHEN Saturday, November 17, 2012, 3-5 p.m.

WHERE Harris Hall, room 108 (first floor south,) Northwestern University, 1881 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL

All University PARKING is FREE on Saturdays. To go by train take the Red Line to Howard, then the Purple Line to Davis. Walk to the university.

Please R.S.V.P using the online form or email fulbrightchicago@gmail.com by Tuesday November 13, 2012.

If you are a Fulbright alum please include your name and country where you had your Fulbright. The COST of the show and presentation is $15 (please bring cash or check).

If you are an international Fulbright student/scholar please include your name, country of origin and school that you are attending.

It is FREE of charge for international Fulbright students.

Photos Courtesy of Dorene Wiese

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Frank Lloyd Wright and the Chicago Facts Scavenger Hunt at Unity Temple

Posted on October 10, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Fulbright students gathered outside the main Unity Temple area prior to the beginning of the event

By Cristina Sisson  — VISITING FULBRIGHT STUDENTS and scholars joined Fulbright alumni members on Saturday, September 29th, 2012 from 11:30 am. -2 pm. for the annual Fall Welcome, the first event of the new academic year.

Linda Gruber and Ana Gil-García met at Unity Temple after Dr. Gil-García’s return from teaching in Egypt.

A packed room of over eighty guests shared lunch together at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity House, the secular social space of Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois. After a welcome by our chapter president, Elio Leturia, visiting Fulbrighters competed in a Chicago fact scavenger hunt that included questions about the Chicago Fire, local museums, and cultural questions such as “What are the toppings on a traditional Chicago hot dog?”  board member Jason Romano led the scavenger hunt and joked that teams received one point for listing “mustard” and lost five if they included ketchup.  Halloween prizes were awarded to the top three teams.

While explaining how Frank Lloyd Wright directed Unity Temple’s construction, our tour guide said the whole structure was made using concrete.

The fun welcome to the city continued as guests enjoyed an informative and engaging tour Unity Temple.  The foundation’s docent chronicled the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright on architecture in Chicago and around the world. Many Fulbrighters took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and walked together to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio, historical homes, and other museums in the area such as Ernest Hemingway’s Home.

It was a perfect setting to catch up with Fulbright alumni and meet new students studying in Chicago.

Fulbright students worked together on the Chicago Scavenger Hunt right after the luncheon and before the architectural tour.

Photos by Thomas Ahleman

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Welcome to Chicago this Fall: Frank Lloyd Wright Unity Temple Tour and Luncheon

Posted on August 24, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois

By Jason Romano — WELCOME TO THE WINDY CITY! The Chicago Chapter of the Fulbright Association has planned a new year of exciting events.

Detail of the interior of the Unity Temple

To kick off the year, we ask you to join us for the Frank Lloyd Wright Chicago Architectural Tour and Luncheon on Saturday September 29, 2012 from 12 to 2 pm.  In addition to welcoming our newly arrived Fulbrighters as well as catching up with continuing students, guests will enjoy a 45 minute guided tour of Unity Temple, Wright’s modern masterpiece, located in historic Oak Park, a vibrant neighborhood located just outside of Chicago’s city limits, a short train ride from downtown Chicago.

This is an excellent opportunity to get to know one another, meet the members of the Chicago Chapter of the Fulbright Association, and to see one of the many exciting neighborhoods that the Chicagoland area has to offer.

Unity Temple is located in Oak Park

Following the tour, guests are encouraged to visit other historic sites in the neighborhood such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio and home, the Ernest Hemingway House, and the Pleasant Home.  Please visit www.visitoakpark.com for an area map.

Unity Temple is located at 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois, and  it is accessible via the Oak Park stop off of the CTA’s Green Line.  There is free street parking available along the viaduct; there is also metered parking on the streets as well as $6 all day parking available at various parking structures.

Please R.S.V.P using the online form or email fulbrightchicago@gmail.com by Tuesday September 25, 2012.

If you are a Fulbright alum please include your name and country where you had your Fulbright. The cost of the tour and luncheon is $25 (please bring cash or check).

If you are an international Fulbright student/scholar please include your name, country of origin and school that you are attending. It is FREE of charge for Fulbright students/scholars.

If you happen to reserve a spot and do not come, you will be charged the cost of the event, $25. The Chicago Chapter of the Fulbright Association needs to pay in advance and there are no refunds if people do not show up.

Photos by Theodolite@en.wikipedia, Ivo Shandor, Wikimedia Commons

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Book donation for Menoufia University in Egypt

Posted on May 21, 2012 by | Leave a comment

During her year in Egypt, Dr. Ana Gil-García, who is currently teaching at American University in Cairo, has conducted workshops and delivered presentations to several institutions. Here, working with a group of fellows at Menoufia University, two hours away from Cairo.

AS PART OF OUR ONGOING Book Initiative Donation Program, Dr. Ana Gil-García is currently working in Egypt, more specifically, with Menoufia University.

Along with Dr. Osama Madany, chairperson of the Department of English Literature and Language, and a fellow Fulbrighter, we are asking you to donate a book to provide his department with needed materials in the following areas:

1. American Literature (Fiction, Drama, Poetry) from 18th C. to present day.
2. British Literature (Fiction, Drama, Poetry) from 16th C. to present day. 
3. American and British Literary Criticism to present day.
4. American and British Culture/Civilization to present day.
5. Essay Writing
6. Linguistics / Applied Linguistics
7. Grammar
8. English Language Courses (TEFL, TESOL, TOEFL)
9. Audio/Visual material related to above fields.
10. English as a Second Language
11. Educational leadership
12. Bilingual-bicultural education
13. Multicultural education
 

Dr. Gil-García will be in Chicago for a week, June 6 -13. If you could donate any new or used book on those areas will be greatly appreciated. Dr. Gil-García will take the books to the Department of English Literature and Language of Menoufia University in Egypt.

Please, contact us at fulbrightChicago@gmail.com to schedule a pick up of your donation.

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Board member Dr. Dolores Rinke meets with Fulbright Turkey, presents at a conference in Izmir

Posted on May 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

WHILE ON A SENIOR Specialist grant, Purdue University Calumet Professor and Fulbright Association-Chicago Chapter board member Dolores Rinke along with her host Mehmet Baha Karan, Professor of Finance at Hacettepe University took time to meet with Secil Yazicioglu, the American Program Officer of the Fulbright Commission in Ankara, Turkey. During her stay in Ankara, Professor Rinke taught classes on International Accounting and Corporate Governance.

Mehmet Baha Karan, Prof. of Finance at Hacettepe University, Dolores Rinke, Prof. of Accounting at Purdue University, Secil Yazicioglu, American Program Officer of the Turkish Fulbright Commission, and Ozlem Ozkanli, Prof. of Management at Ankara University

She also joined members of the Turkish Finance Society for an economics conference in Izmir. Members of this group included Gokhan Ugan, the Director of Market Oversight; Izzet Ozbilgin, Head of IT for the Capital Markets Board of Turkey; the deans of three universities; and accounting and finance professors from the country.

In this conference, Dr. Rinke was the keynote speaker providing an update on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Prior to the conference, the members participated in a presentation and tour of the Turkish Exchange for Futures and Derivatives in Izmir.

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Fulbrighters Say Hej Då

Posted on May 2, 2012 by | 2 comments

Fulbright students and scholars during the Spring Farewell Lunch at Reza’s Restaurant in the Andersonville area of Chicago

By Thomas Ahleman — THIS PAST SATURDAY, APRIL 28TH 2012, the Chicago Chapter of the Fulbright Association and the Institute of International Education IIE, said congratulations and farewell to several of the visiting Fulbright students and scholars who are completing their studies in the area or finishing with their research or teaching.

The chapter held the annual farewell luncheon event at the Swedish American Museum and Reza’s Restaurant, both in the Andersonville neighborhood.

The Swedish American Museum tour was divided in two groups. Jessie Aucoin, Education Director of the museum, offering a tour on the second floor.

Thirty-seven friends of the Fulbright program were on hand for a tour of the museum, which included a photography and painting exhibit, “Images of Sweden” as well as the permanent exhibition on Swedish emigration to the U.S.

Spanish Fulbrighter Federico Padrones with his wife and daughter on the third floor of the museum, at the children exhibit

Board members Bruni Hirsch and Kari Burnett during the farewell lunch

Those present included alumni, members of the Fulbright Association board, Fulbrighters, family members as well as the Consul General of Pakistan, Mr. Zaheer Pervaiz Khan and his wife.

The museum visit also included a stop at the Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration located on the third floor of the museum where the younger (and a few not-so young) guests enjoyed playing on a miniature Swedish stuga (farm,) a miniature ocean liner like the ones that ferried Swedes to the U.S…. and of course on the Viking ship.

Learning about so many people saying goodbye to friends and family to pursue their dreams was a particularly poignant setting for our farewell event.

Following the visit to the museum, everyone enjoyed the delicious Persian buffet at Reza’s Restaurant, where Chapter president Elio Leturia presented certificates to those visiting Fulbrighters who are concluding their studies this spring.

Chicago Chapter president Elio Leturia addressing the Fulbright students and scholars prior to handing their diplomas of completion

Leturia also reminisced about the chapter’s robust program of events over the past year that included the Fall Welcome, Noche Bohemia, International Education Week, Winter Holidays, International Women’s Day and the Rush Hospital Architectural Tour. He also wished our esteemed guests good luck on their journeys home.

Curator Veronica Robinson leading a tour at the first floor of the Swedish Museum where a photography and painting exhibit, “Images of Sweden” is on display

Education Director Jessie Aucoin showing the wall where names of Swedish immigrants are engraved on plaques

Fulbrighter Farida Abdulhafizova, who has finished her studies, with Eldar Seitek and guest Linda Dannenberg

Reza’s menu included falafel, hummus, different kinds of stews and salads, rice and several vegetarian options

Fulbrighter Yazmina Buitrago getting her certificate of completion

Alumna Dr. Norma Green, her husband John Corbett, Chicago Chapter Vice President Thomas Ahleman and Ana Gómez, wife of Colombian Fulbrighter Andrés Gómez

Photos by Ron Harvey and Jason Romano

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