JMU associate vice president named a Fulbright Scholar

Myles Surrett, James Madison University’s associate vice president for career, experiential learning, and transitions, was recently named a Fulbright Scholar. 

Surrett received the U.S.-Germany International Education Administrators Award, which is an opportunity for international education professionals and senior higher education professionals to engage in a two-week, intensive seminar to learn about the host country’s education system and establish networks, according to the program. 

Surrett will primarily be in Berlin but will also work in smaller groups to exchange with colleagues from around the country. The goal is to share information about different higher education systems and think through how different approaches can be applied.  

Surrett says he applied for the program with the hope to learn from the German higher education system and then apply that knowledge to improve the JMU student experience. 

“I have the wonderful opportunity here at JMU to work with community engagement, career development, disability services, and student transition programs, so I am particularly interested in how German universities meet these needs,” said Surrett. “Over the course of my life, exposure to new environments and ways of doing things has been illuminating. I’m so hopeful this will be similar and result in great outcomes for our students,” added Surrett. 

Katie Sensabaugh, JMU’s study abroad director, said that Surrett, who also serves as the liaison on the Center for Global Engagement’s (CGE) Global Advisory Council and is a faculty associate for study abroad, brings a collaborative approach to international education at JMU. 

“Through his expertise in orientation, career readiness and experiential learning, Dr. Surrett has helped to develop more intentional study abroad programming to foster continued student success,” said Sensabaugh. “Dr. Surrett’s participation in the Fulbright Seminar in Germany will undoubtedly incite new ideas and knowledge that he’ll bring back to the CGE,” added Sensabaugh. 

JMU has several Fulbright Scholars on its faculty. The JMU Voices of Fulbright page provides information about these faculty members and celebrates their contributions to the Fulbright program and the JMU campus.