Lourenco Paz, Ph.D., associate professor of economics at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, has been awarded the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Hungary, a highly competitive fellowship from the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards offer unique opportunities for scholars to teach, conduct research, and work on professional projects at various universities worldwide. As the United States government’s main international educational exchange program, the program plays an important role in foreign diplomacy by allowing researchers to form links with countries and universities.
Paz, a Fulbright U.S. Scholar, will lecture and conduct research at the World Economy Department at Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary. During his tenure in Budapest, Paz will teach two international trade courses to undergraduate and graduate students while also investigating trade agreements that aim to enhance working conditions for labor workers. Paz will collaborate with the World Economy Department to establish a new approach for evaluating whether trade agreement labor rules improve working conditions in signatory nations, such as the United States and Colombia or the United States and Peru.
“The award is important because it promotes invaluable research in important fields of knowledge and entails a human dimension of bringing scholars of different countries,” Paz said in a statement. “Such an exchange of experiences contributes to mutual understanding between the United States and other countries. Personally, I believe that this prize will increase awareness of the importance of research into the complex interaction between international trade and good working conditions around the world.”
While in Budapest, Paz hopes to expand his network of research collaborators in Europe and bridge the gap between Baylor and Hungarian universities, foster new research projects in economics and international business, and incorporate new knowledge about Hungary and Eastern Europe into the International Trade courses he teaches at Baylor. Paz’s fellow economists at the Hankamer School of Business, including Sandeep Mazumder, Ph.D., The William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean and professor of economics, are excited about his Fulbright opportunity to conduct international trade research and represent Baylor in international collaboration and education.
“Being a Fulbright Scholar is a significant achievement for a faculty member, and we are very proud of Dr. Paz for his award,” said Sandeep Mazumder, Ph.D., Baylor’s William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean and economics professor. “This will help build partnerships with universities overseas and will help deepen the scholarship that Dr. Paz conducts in the area of international business.”
Pathway to global engagement
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program provides over 400 prizes in more than 135 countries to US citizens, resulting in improved skills, new contacts, and increased mutual understanding. Baylor academics and staff may apply for these grants in ways that are consistent with their research and professional interests. The Office of Engaged Learning and the Center for Global Engagement collaborated to create a one-stop portal for students, teachers, and staff interested in Fulbright opportunities at Baylor.
According to Eduardo Contreras, Ph.D., vice provost for global engagement, the Center for Global Engagement will connect faculty interested in applying for awards with those who have already received them or with existing university partners around the world to establish connections.
“Given the wide array of talented faculty and staff on campus, with myriad interests all over the world, these competitive awards are a terrific opportunity for our community,” Contreras said in a statement. “Beyond the opportunity to send Baylor scholars into the world with a Fulbright, this is also a way for Baylor to receive visiting scholars who have earned Fulbright awards to visit the United States.”
Global scholars
Paz joins Baylor faculty members who have received the Fulbright U.S. Scholar award in the past two years, including Kwang Lee, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering, who spent the Fall 2023 semester at Yonsei University in South Korea, and Candi K. Cann, Ph.D., associate professor of religion in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, who spent the Spring 2023 semester teaching and conducting research at Han Nam University in South Korea.
The University’s Office of Engaged Learning, Center for Global Engagement, and Office of the Provost will host Baylor Fulbright Day on Tuesday, February 27 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in room 506 of the Cashion Academic Center. Baylor Fulbright Day will provide information about the Fulbright program to students, teachers, and staff, as well as how to apply for a Fulbright award for the upcoming cycle. For further information, see the Baylor Fulbright webpage.