Preparing to Leave

Seems Simple a Couple Years Out!

When I first applied for the Fulbright to Poland roughly two years ago, the concept of picking up and leaving Charlotte for six months was fairly abstract and registered as an exciting adventure.  I'm sure it will be that, but as the departure date quickly approaches (about 10 days, ready or not!), the countless, complex preparatory tasks seem to keep piling up.  Let me summarize some of the principal issues that a Fulbright applicant will need to consider.

Transportation

I'm referring here not just to getting to my Fulbright appointment site, but to all transportation-related issues.  What will I do with my two vehicles while I'm away for six months?  What flight routes are available to and from Poznan?  How will my wife and I get around while we're in Poland?  My reseaerch and brief experience in Poznan six years ago tell me we can rely on public transportation, and my wife and I very much enjoy walking, so this aspect is quite appealing. 

I include also under transportation the problem of luggage.  My airline allows just one suitcase on an international flight, and the second one will cost $70 each way.  Yet we need to bring clothing covering six months, from the depth of winter to the height of summer.  We'll need both suits and casual clothing for those seasons as well.  My solution there was to ship several boxes of clothing, shoes, books and other items in advance through a shipping service, which takes about six weeks, so thoughtful advance planning is needed.   Miraculously, there is a small company just outside Charlotte that specializes in shipping to Poland!  Shipping those boxes cost over $200, which is absorbed to some extent by the Fulbright travel allowance.  Of course, shipping boxes requires the gracious cooperation of my colleagues in Poznan who will have to receive and sign for them.

Finances

This is a critical issue.  Fortunately, technology makes this a much simpler problem to address than in years past.  Still, Fulbrighters have to think about how they will pay for things such as rent (if applicable), food, transportation, laundry, etc.  Standard credit cards are generally acceptable, of course, but often with a fee for each transaction that requires currency exchange calculations for the monthly bill.  Similarly, though ATM machines are readily available, there may be currency exchange charges or withdrawal limitations.  Be sure, too, you know which of your accounts ATM withdrawals will count against.  The Fulbright Commission in Warsaw makes it easy by wiring my monthly stipend to my U.S. bank account.  I discussed the best approach with my bank, and they provided an excellent solution.  Be sure to let your bank (and any other credit card providers you use) know where you'll be and for how long; if you fail to do so, the bank may block your credit and debit cards.

Accommodations

First, there's the issue of what to do with your own home while you're gone.  Rent it out?  Leave it vacant?  Have friends or relatives stay there?  Suspend utilities if it's left vacant?  Transfer utilities if you rent it out?  My wife and I made a bold choice, especially considering the current housing market.  We opted to put our home up for sale and use this opportunity to transition to a condo-style home (no more yard work!).  That meant a lot of dominoes had to fall and tumblers click at just the right time.  By divine providence, it has all worked out superbly.  Our home sold quickly, and we found the perfect ranch-style condo nearby, even closer to the UNC Charlotte campus than our current home.  With endless paperwork, prepping our home for sale, packing up once it sold, monitoring construction of the new condo, all while preparing for the move to Poland and the ambitious research project I'll undertake there, this is not a path I'd recommend for the easily frustrated. 

Then there's the issue of where to live in Poznan.  My host university graciously offered me a flat in Poznan and sent pictures of the apartment.  It looked comfortable and clean, but a bit small and spare for two people for six months.  My wife and I lived in Europe nearly 10 years, so we're fully aware of the variance in size between U.S. and European homes, but we also want to be able to occasionally host our new Polish friends in keeping with the Fulbright vision.  My host university understood and has agreed to provide a modest stipend instead of the flat; an additional stipend from the Fulbright Commission in Warsaw will permit us to rent a more suitable flat that will afford both comfort, appointments and the possibility for hospitality.

Medical

A Fulbright appointment requires a comprehensive medical exam for both the fellowship recipient and family members.  These must be accomplished well in advance and the physician's reports forwarded to CIES for review.  If satisfactory, CIES issues a medical clearance for each person, and these clearances become a critical part of the Fulbright portfolio.  Medical insurance is included in the Fulbright grant, and the Polish Consulate requires proof of that insurance before it will issue the required visas.  In this category, Fulbrighters need to consider bringing adequate supplies of any prescription medications or other similar items for the duration, or ensure that they may be obtained in the destination location.

Visas

And speaking of the Consulate, staying in Poland for six months dictates the need for a visa.  Obtaining the visas was a straightforward but time consuming process.  The Fulbright Handbook, provided upon award of the appointment, gave me a starting point.  Initially, I had to complete on-line visa applications for both my wife and me; that took a couple hours due to a combination of not having the necessary documents as I worked through the lengthy applications as well as a few glitches in the website.  Eventually, I was able to submit the applications electronically.  I had to follow that with a phone call to the Polish Consulate in Washington, D.C., to confirm receipt of the applications and to schedule an appointment to come to the Consulate to complete the application process.  That meant my wife and I had to drive to D.C. (about six hours each way) to present ourselves and our passports to the Consulate; this must be done in person.  We also had to show the Fulbright letter of appointment, proof of medical insurance and a few other documents.  I must say, despite the time-consuming process, the young woman at the Consulate was extremely helpful and courteous.  We had to leave our passports with the Consulate, along with funds to FedEx the passports (with visas) back to our home a couple weeks later.  It all worked.

Home University

Of course, I also had a good deal of paperwork to complete and coordinate through UNC Charlotte.  For example, I needed to process my research proposal through our Institutional Review Board, which must approve any research involving human subjects; my project will include focus groups and surveys.  That process is underway.  I also had to submit an application for leave with partial pay.  Universities may take different approaches to this financial aspect, but my university readily granted the leave (they're proud to have another Fulbrighter on the roles), with a deduction in my salary essentially equal to the amount of the Fulbright stipend.  That permits the university to hire adjunct faculty to teach my classes in my absence.  I think that's a fair arrangement.

Keeping it All Together

There are other aspects of the preparation process such as establishing contacts in the academic department I'll be attached to in Poznan (e.g., what about an office, a computer, university ID card, etc.?), and it would be easy to let all this administration become disorganized.  I prepared a 3-inch, tabbed binder early in the process and diligently sorted and filed pertinent papers regularly.  I did the same electronically with e-mails and other computer documents.  I've transferred to the laptop computer that will go with me all files that I might conceivably need in Poland (for research, guest lectures, etc.).  I've backed that all up on a portable hard drive, and I've started uploading a few document to "Dropbox."  I'm probably over-preparing, but I think that's the side to err on.  The binder will travel with me on the plane to Poznan.



Preparing and maintaining a binder consolidating
all Fulbright-related documents helped me stay on
top of all the paperwork.

 


Transportation, medical clearances, visa applications,
financial documents, and more all need to be
at hand and readily retrievable when needed.



  

If it seems a bit overwhelming, it can be, but in a peculiarly exhilarating way.  I'm very much at ease with the prospect of leaving in a few days, and my wife and I are deeply excited about spending six months in beautiful Poland.  As the departure date looms, I've receiving warm messages of welcome from my new colleagues in Poznan along with gracious offers of aid upon our arrival.  One professor this week said he and a graduate student are planning to prepare and provide meals for my first days there!  This is going to be great!

The Fulbright Application Process -- Patience & Persistence

THE FULBRIGHT APPLICATION PROCESS

The keys to successfully navigating the application process are patience and persistence.   You will also need to call upon colleagues to support your efforts by submitting documents endorsing and validating your credentials and the value of your potential contributions to the Fulbright mission and vision.  When I depart later this month for Poznan, it will have been roughly 2 ½ years since I began the formal process of applying for a Fulbright fellowship!  And my preparations to begin that process even preceded that time frame.   In this post, I’ll briefly describe the stages of the application process, though individual experiences will certainly differ.  Fundamentally, the process is similar for both academics and professionals, though professionals would be applying for short-term, project-focused assignments instead of longer-term, research- or teaching-based assignments.

The Contemplative Stage

Potential applicants will have a myriad of reasons for considering pursuit of a Fulbright appointment.  My reasons sprang from roughly 10 years of living and working in Europe (Germany, England, Belgium) during the 1980s and ‘90s.  It’s an environment I enjoy and in which I’m quite comfortable.  Add to that my interest in global public relations and increasing our understanding of the complexities of practicing the discipline across borders and cultures, and the Fulbright program becomes a perfect platform.  UNC Charlotte benefits from an outstanding International Program Office that promotes, encourages and facilitates education abroad for our students, welcomes and supports exchange students studying on our campus, and helps faculty and administrators pursue international experiences.  One of the IPO’s regular offerings are seminars for faculty considering the Fulbright program.  These were extremely helpful in helping me understand the purpose and vision of the program as well as the procedures for applying.  At these seminars, I was able to hear from Fulbright alumni (“Fulbrighters,” they’re called) both from my own campus and from other universities.  They were frank and informative, ensuring that potential applicants fully understood the responsibilities and challenges that accompany the honor of a Fulbright appointment.  If your campus does not conduct these seminars, check with other nearby campuses; I’m sure you’d be welcome to attend.  My wife and I discussed the possibility extensively and concluded that this was an adventure worth pursuing.  So to begin the thought process that must precede this decision, I strongly recommend meeting with representatives from your equivalent of the International Programs Office as well as with faculty and practitioners who have completed a Fulbright appointment.

Taking the First Steps

The Center for International Exchange of Scholars, which administers the Fulbright program, has significantly streamlined the application process in recent years, and the entire process can now be accomplished on line.  Your first challenge will be to identify the program for which you intend to apply and your country of choice.  You’ll also need to consider your preferred length of stay, start and end dates, whether you prefer to only conduct research or to teach or to do some of both, and other choices.  There are so many potential permutations that I could not possibly address them all.  Spend some time exploring the CIES website and talking to former Fulbrighters to help winnow your choices to your top preference (and the opportunity for which you feel your credentials are the strongest).  To find Fulbrighters you might talk with, visit the CIES directory where you can search by year, discipline, home state and other criteria.  Once you’ve done that, start marshaling your support materials.

What You’ll Need to Provide

The application package has several components.  First is the on-line application form itself, which asks for a summary of your credentials, personal profile information, and a summary of your proposed research project or teaching possibilities.  You’ll also indicate, by specific award number and description, the country and program for which you’re applying.  The on-line form will also require the names and contact information for three appropriate individuals willing to provide letters of reference and recommendation; be sure to discuss your application with your selected references in depth before submitting your application.  I provided my references with a point paper suggesting key messages to stress – messages that spoke to the qualities and skills required for my preferred award.  Your references will be contacted by CIES and asked to upload their recommendations to be incorporated into your application package.

You’ll also need to upload a more detailed description of your research proposal, a working bibliography and your Curriculum Vita.  All documents will be limited to a few pages for uploading, so you’ll need to spend considerable time crafting each document so it speaks to the award for which you’re applying.  Throughout the process, I periodically exchanged e-mails with Fulbrighters I had met, seeking their guidance to fine tune my application package. 

Another item you’ll need to provide for most awards is a letter of invitation from the university you hope to work with in the country of your Fulbright award.  It’s my impression this is an extremely critical component of your application.  Because I had participated in a conference at the Economics University of Poznan in 2005, I had made a valuable contact there, the conference host, Dr. Ryszard Ławniczak.  He was highly supportive of my Fulbright application and arranged for a letter of invitation from his university president; I believe that letter was a decisive factor in my award, and I urge applicants to secure such a letter before or soon after initiating the formal application process.

Patience and Persistence

I first submitted my Fulbright application in summer 2009.  That’s when the waiting and anticipation began.  Finally, in December 2009, I received encouraging news – that the CIES peer review panel had judged my application favorably, but that’s only the first stage of the approval process.  My application still needed to be screened by the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission in Warsaw.  At last, in March 2010, I received disappointing news – my application fell a bit short, and I was designated an “alternate candidate.”  Discouraging.  After the considerable effort required to plan and submit the application, and after nearly 10 months of waiting, my hope was deflated.

Then, quite unexpectedly, in September 2010 (now more than a year since I applied and six months since the disappointing news of my “alternate” status), I received an e-mail from CIES that funds had been identified and I would now receive the Fulbright appointment after all!  The problem was that my semester had already begun, and teaching assignments for the spring had already been made as well.  Accepting the short-notice appointment would have caused a bit of turmoil in my department.  I pursued the possibility of delaying my fellowship until the following year, but my CIES contact said the funds supporting the award could not carry over from one year to the next.  Nevertheless, she encouraged me to re-submit the application (the deadline was days away!).  It meant asking my references to quickly re-submit their letters and the university president in Poznan to do the same.  Thankfully, each of those supportive colleagues came through once again.

At last, in April 2011, nearly two years since my initial application, I received a formal letter from the Polish-U.S. Commission that my application was approved.  Patience and persistence, and in less than four weeks I’ll begin what I know will be a remarkable experience.