Fulbright Distinction Positions Morgan State University at the Vanguard of Global Scholarship

BALTIMORE — Demonstrating a competitive edge rooted in both academic excellence and global engagement, Morgan State University has once again emerged as a national leader among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in 2025, earning distinction as a Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader for the sixth consecutive year. The elite designation from the U.S. Department of State underscores Morgan’s deep, sustained commitment to international exchange and its expanding record of faculty achievement in one of the world’s most prestigious scholarly programs.

In a record-breaking year for Fulbright Specialist awards, Morgan secured more Fulbright Scholar awardees than any other HBCU, with four faculty recipients named in the 2024–25 cycle. Among them is Oscar Barton, Ph.D., dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., School of Engineering, who received his second Fulbright Specialist Award in nine months. His newly approved project will take him to France, where he will support CESI’s engineering campuses in preparing for the rigorous ABET accreditation process—an engagement that strengthens institutional collaboration and global workforce alignment.

“This level of Fulbright success signals the momentum of a university expanding its global footprint while accelerating opportunity for its faculty, students and the communities we serve,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University. “Our leadership among HBCUs in earning these awards is not incidental; it reflects intentional investment in the development of scholars who will shape international dialogue, advance research worldwide and bring that perspective back to strengthen what we do here in Baltimore.”

Established in 2019, the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader designation honors institutions for noteworthy engagement with the Fulbright Program, including hosting international scholars and encouraging campus participation across academic disciplines. Morgan’s inclusion among the top 20 HBCUs recognized this year reaffirms its stature as a destination for global partnerships and scholarly exchange. The State Department commended the University’s administrators and educators for their “deep commitment to international exchange and to building lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries,” in its formal congratulatory notice.

Morgan’s Fulbright achievements have been guided by Megan DeVirgilis, Ph.D., associate professor of Spanish and Fulbright Program director at Morgan, whose stewardship has catalyzed record participation and awards in recent years.

“Our faculty consistently demonstrate the curiosity, expertise and adventurous spirit that the Fulbright Program seeks,” said Dr. DeVirgilis. “Each award expands not only the work of the individual scholar but also the global reach of Morgan State University. As more faculty pursue these transformative opportunities, our campus becomes more internationally connected and enriched.”

Dean Barton’s assignment as a Fulbright Specialist will take him to four CESI campuses—Strasbourg, Lyon, Nantes and Rouen—where he will assist with academic review and accreditation readiness, building on his Fulbright U.S. International Education Administrators award earlier this year to study in Senegal.

Since 1946, nearly 450,000 participants have engaged in the Fulbright program, including Nobel and Pulitzer Prize laureates, heads of state and leading innovators across disciplines. Through teaching, research and professional exchange in more than 160 countries, Fulbright faculty like those at Morgan advance global understanding and tackle some of society’s most complex challenges.

For more information about the Fulbright Program and HBCU engagement opportunities, visit fulbrightprogram.org.

About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master’s degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Media Contacts:
Larry Jones, or Dell Jackson, for Morgan State University PR
443-885-3022