An Anderson University College of Business professor has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award to serve as a cultural ambassador to Belarus.
The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board this month announced that Dr. Kent Saunders, a professor finance and economics at Anderson University, was selected based on his project titled Financial Management and Investment Foundations in Belarus. Saunders’ Fulbright award will entail teaching courses to undergraduate students and MBA program courses to professionals along with consulting on curriculum and faculty development in Belarus.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to share what I know with students and faculty in Belarus,” Saunders said. “Additionally, living, teaching and learning for a prolonged period of time in a country whose economic system is different from my own will have a profound effect on my own understanding of financial economics.”
The two specific courses that Saunders will teach are Financial Management and Investment Foundations. The course in Financial Management will include a group project applying course material to a capital budgeting decision comparing the decision to build a factory in Anderson, South Carolina in the United States or Minsk in Belarus. The course in Investment Foundations will use curriculum from the CFA Institute and a group project comparing global stock markets.
“Anderson University is excited that Dr. Saunders is the recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Belarus,” said Anderson University Provost Dr. Ryan Neal. “This prestigious award is a sign of Dr. Saunders’ knowledge and expertise, and we are honored to count him among our outstanding faculty.”
Saunders is one of more than 800 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research, and/or provide expertise abroad for the 2020-2021 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.