How to Host Fulbrighters

Hosting Visiting Fulbright Scholars

If you are interested in hosting a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at UC Davis, there are several steps to initiate the process:

• Invite an overseas colleague to consider coming to UC Davis as a visiting scholar
• Recommend that the scholar get in touch with the Fulbright commission in his/her country or contact the U.S. Embassy for application and deadline information
• Confirm the scholar’s status to see if the scholar is considered a postdoc
  • If the scholar received a Ph.D. within five years, check with Graduate Studies to see if he/she will be considered a postdoc rather than a visiting scholar
  • If the scholar does not have a home institution (in their home country), check with Graduate Studies as he/she may be considered a postdoc rather than a visiting scholar
  • If the scholar qualifies as a postdoc and the Fulbright stipend is lower than the minimum rate required by the university (including the union that covers postdocs at UC Davis), as the host, you will be required to arrange the additional funding prior to the beginning date of an appointment for the visiting scholar. Visit the APM-390 (Academic Personnel Manual) for more.
• Provide a letter of invitation to the scholar indicating the terms of the proposed partnership and the relationship between the scholar’s interests and those of the department
• Upon receipt of a Fulbright award, work with the scholar to determine an appropriate arrival date to campus
• Provide advice with pre-arrival logistics as needed (e.g. short-term housing, securing a bank account, driver’s license, and social security card, transportation upon arrival and during stay, school registration for dependents, etc.)

Department Responsibilities for Hosting Fulbright Visiting Scholars

The UC Davis host department should establish contact with the visiting scholar before arrival to campus to answer any initial questions or concerns and to establish an appropriate start date. Once the scholar arrives, the faculty host plays a key role in helping the scholar settle into campus by:

• Encouraging the visiting scholar to visit the UC Davis Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) office to confirm arrival
  • Visiting scholars are encouraged to attend an SISS orientation for J-1 scholars that provides useful information about campus
  • SISS can provide information on short-term housing, securing a bank account, driver’s licenses, social security cards, transportation upon arrival and during stay, and school registration for dependents
• Arranging for a UC Davis email account
• Providing appropriate office space, and computer and library access
• Assisting the scholar in obtaining a UC Davis ID card
• Providing a tour of campus or encourage the scholar to take advantage of the tours offered through UC Davis Visitor Services
• Encouraging the scholar to attend events through the Fulbright Enrichment Program, which provides opportunities to meet scholars from around Northern California (email Jennie Konsella-Norene at jknorene@ucdavis.edu for details)
• Introducing the scholar to department staff and colleagues and discuss an appropriate work schedule
• Maintaining frequent contact with the scholar throughout the duration of his/her stay on campus

Hosting Fulbright Visiting Students

The Institute of International Education (IEE) has five Regional Centers, located in New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco. If you have questions about the Foreign Fulbright Student Program. please contact the current IIE/West Coast/Northern California representative, Liza Melms, lmelms@iie.org, (415) 593-5899.