Economics professor awarded Fulbright grant to Montenegro
Released: December 4, 2007
More than 279,000 people have had the opportunity to study, teach or research abroad through the Fulbright Program, America's flagship international exchange program. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Professor of Economics Thomas Schweigert is one of 800 fortunate individuals recently awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to travel abroad for the 2007-08 academic year.
Schweigert is currently abroad researching and lecturing at the University of Montenegro in Kotor on the privatization, property and tourism in Europe's newest state and Montenegro's possible accession to the European Union. Montenegro is located in southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia. His term began in September 2007 and will end in June 2008.
The United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the Fulbright Program. This exchange program provides students, scholars and teachers the opportunity to observe each other's political, economic, educational and cultural institutions, to exchange ideas and to embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world's inhabitants.
"The Fulbright Scholar grant is very competitive and it's obvious Schweigert's area of study in that part of the world was of interest to scholarship board," Department Chair and Professor of Economics Jeff Heinrich said. "This honor only says positive things about him as a professor and the university."
At UW-Whitewater, Schweigert taught a course on European integration. The course, Comparative Economic Systems, focused on the study of the modern theories of capitalism and socialism and their variants. The course examined the origin, organization, operation and performance of alternative economic systems. Contemporary economies considered were those of the United States, Russia, China, Japan and selected economies from Eastern and Western Europe, with and emphasis on reform and transition efforts in these economies.
Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. For more than 60 years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
For more information about the Fulbright Program or the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit http://exchanges.state.gov or contact Heinrich at (262) 472-5583 or heinricj@uww.edu.
- Patti Schenker,schenkerpl07@uww.edu
