Anthropology professor awarded Fulbright Scholar Grant in Lithuania
07/15/2002
NEW PALTZ -- Victor de Munck, assistant professor of anthropology at SUNY New Paltz, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar Grant to lecture at Vilnius University in Lithuania during the 2002-2003 academic year.
de Munck, one of 11 SUNY professors within the last 20 years to receive a Fulbright grant, will teach cultural anthropology and anthropological data collection methods and analysis. There are approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad to 140 countries for the 2002-2003 academic year through the Fulbright Scholar Program.
"The idea is to establish cordial and good relationships with other countries," said de Munck, who will travel with his wife, Trini. "I am really excited and I'm trying to learn the language and history of Vilnius. We hope to immerse ourselves in Lithuanian culture."
Among various teaching methods, de Munck said that he will instruct students on how to collect data from a wide range of environments, including the Vilnius market, one of the largest open-air markets in the world. "It is very poly-ethnic -- a fascinating place to study. Hopefully, they'll get excited by it," said de Munck.
Vice President for Academic Affairs David Lavallee said that Professor de Munck is widely respected in the field of anthropology, and that the Fulbright award recognizes not only his general expertise, but also the success of his recent research projects funded through the National Science Foundation.
"We are certain that researchers and students in Lithuania will gain from his work there, and our students will be the beneficiary of his research experience on his return to New Paltz," said Lavallee.
de Munck has been a professor at New Paltz since August of 1997. His courses include Research Methods, Cultures of India, Cultural Anthropology, Political Anthropology, and Cognitive Anthropology. Previously, he taught at the University of New Hampshire.
de Munck was born in Amsterdam, Holland, in 1948. He moved to the United States in 1956 and currently resides in Rosendale.
The 11 SUNY New Paltz professors who have been awarded Fulbright grants are: Victor de Munck (Anthropology) Lithuania; Lee A. Bell (Educational Studies) Mexico; Robert Miraldi (Communication and Media) Netherlands; Jerry Benjamin (Dean/Liberal Arts and Sciences) Japan; Harry R. Stoneback (English) China; Francis Xavier Paz (English) Syria; Gerald Sorin (History) Netherlands; Beatrice F. Conover (English as a Second Language) Mexico; Maria Susan Palmera (English as a Second Language) Turkey; Lorraine G. Farina (English) Italy; Aaron M. Bindman (Sociology) Yugoslavia.
Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the program's purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries.
Approximately 250,000 "Fulbrighters," 94,400 from the United States and 155,600 from other countries, have participated in the program since its inception. The program awards approximately 4,500 new grants annually.
Located in the heart of a dynamic college town, 90 minutes from metropolitan New York City, the State University of New York at New Paltz is a highly selective college of about 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
One of the most well-regarded public colleges in the nation, New Paltz delivers an extraordinary number of majors in Business, Liberal Arts, Sciences, Engineering, Fine and Performing Arts and Education.
New Paltz embraces its culture as a community where talented and independent minded people from around the world create close personal links with real scholars and artists who love to teach.
