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Dr. Michael Thrasher, Troy University’s Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts, has been selected to participate in the Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) Seminar in Germany in October.

Fulbright IEA Seminars are fully funded opportunities for U.S. higher education administrators and executives to participate in intensive, two-week seminars abroad to learn about other countries’ education systems.

Thrasher’s selection marks the first time a current Troy dean has been chosen for a Fulbright award.

“Being the first current dean accepted into the Fulbright program is a testament to Dr. Michael Thrasher’s commitment to professional development to benefit himself and the students of Troy University,” said Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. “Not only does this mark a historic milestone, it also sets a powerful example of leadership that will inspire our faculty to aim higher and achieve even greater success.”

Thrasher will travel to Germany from October 7-19 with a small group of 15-17 other administrators from across the country.

“Some of the oldest universities in the world are in Germany, and the American system is largely based on English, Scottish, and to a certain extent, German models. It’s somewhat like tracing your roots to explore the precursors of the American system,” he said. “It’s a totally different way of operating and thinking, and I’m curious to see the similarities, the differences and what we can learn from that.”

In addition to learning about the German education system, participants will be able to build their network, make connections and further international engagement at their own institutions.

“I hope one of the outcomes of this experience will be identifying a new partner or two for study abroad opportunities for our students,” Thrasher said. “We have partnerships throughout the United Kingdom, Italy, Asia and South America, but we don’t have many in central Europe and Germany, so I think this will be a great opportunity to make those connections.”

Over the course of the two weeks, the participants will visit a variety of colleges and universities, have briefings from faculty and administrators at public and private higher education institutions, educational experts and government officials and will observe organizational operations.

Over 800 individuals teach or conduct research abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. In addition, over 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program participants—recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals—participate in study/research exchanges or as English teaching assistants in local schools abroad each year.

“This is a great thing for me personally, but it’s also a great thing for the University,” Thrasher said. “This now gives us two Fulbright awards this year, and two other faculty members were finalists. It’s a highly competitive program, so we’re very proud of this achievement.”