Harvey Goldstein elected Chair of Fulbright Austrian-American Educational Commission Board

A longtime proponent of Austrian and American academic exchange, Prof. Harvey Goldstein, Vice President of MODUL University, has been elected as the chair of the Fulbright Austrian-American Educational Commission Board for the 2015 year.

The Fulbright Program’s purpose is to promote “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the peoples of other countries” through educational exchange of senior scholars and graduates students. It is funded by the governments of both nations, and provides grants for recent graduates and graduate students or scholars and professionals with U.S. citizenship, to study, teach, or pursue research in Austria and vice versa for Austrian citizens taking on such activities in the U.S.

The Fulbright program was named for U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright who had the idea that international educational exchange could play an important role in helping nations solve problems peacefully rather than going to war. Inaugurated in 1946, today the Fulbright program operates in 155 countries worldwide; however, Austria is one of only 50 countries with a binational Fulbright commission. The Austrian Fulbright program  is ranked 6^th in the world in terms of the total number of U.S. scholars who have participated in exchange, which is remarkable for the relatively small size of Austria.

A native of Massachusetts in the U.S., Prof. Goldstein has extensive experience in the American higher education teaching at renowned institutions such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Columbia University in New York. His first in foray into the Austrian educational system came in the 1980s as a Guest Professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, he then returned in 2000 as a Fulbright Senior Scholar himself.

He joined the MU faculty in August of 2008, taking on various roles including Professor and Director of the Program in Public Governance and Management, Dean, Department Head, and Vice President. 

The Austrian-American Educational Commission Board is the governing organization for the Austrian-American Educational commission and has the responsibility of making policies, setting priorities, selecting scholars, and approving budgets. One of the current priorities for the Commission is to develop funding streams to maintain and enhance exchange opportunities in the face of expected long-term cutbacks from the U.S. and Austrian federal governments.

“This will be a major challenge for the Commission, but it is a necessary one,” says Goldstein. “Participating in the Fulbright program as a scholar in 2000 had a huge impact on my perspectives on higher education. It left an indelible impression of how we, as educators, can truly make a difference in the lives and careers of the students we teach. For that reason alone I am dedicated to doing what I can to ensure that Fulbright’s principal legacy and vision continues to thrive.”

Prof. Ady Milman of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida has been a guest speaker at MODUL University and a visiting Fulbright scholar himself.

‘’The Fulbright experience in Austria has been one of the most significant professional and personal experiences I have ever had.  As a hospitality management professor for almost three decades, it was a great joy to be part of the MCI Innsbruck and the MODUL University Vienna teams. I was also very impressed with the cultural diversity of students and their sincere motivation and interest to learn more from international professors,’’ he said.

Prof. Milman was very impressed how Austrian universities, especially in the discipline of tourism and hospitality management, were well connected to the industry. ‘’Many industry professionals were guest lectures at different classes, sponsored field trips and admissions to attractions, and worked closely with faculty and Ph.D. students in research and consulting projects. I certainly sensed a strong respect for academia!’’