Fulbright Honors Weber State Scholar Sarah Steimel

Sarah SteimelAfter an extensive application and review process, the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board selected Weber State communication professor Sarah Steimel as a Fulbright Specialist to conduct scholarly work during the late spring and early summer of 2020.

Her project with Polotsk State University in Belarus was designed to expand higher-education opportunities to more of the country’s citizens through quality online programs. Steimel spent three months coordinating plane tickets, visas and other details with the State Department. Then the trip was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Of course, I was incredibly disappointed,” Steimel said. “I would have loved the opportunity to collaborate and share my passion for online and international education with Belarusian colleagues. I also wanted to study their teaching practices to bring ideas back to WSU.”

Steimel is hopeful the Fulbright board will be able to reschedule once it is safe to do so. Until then, she will continue to share her passion for online and international education with Weber State students as the director of the Master of Professional Communication program.

She is the 12th Weber State Fulbright recipient since 1999.