Friday, September 7, 2007

Writer: Joy R. Holloway, 706/542-7849, joyh@uga.edu           
Contact: Jaroslav Tir, 706/542-8422, tir@uga.edu           

International affairs professor receives Fulbright award

Athens, Ga. – Jaroslav Tir, associate professor of international affairs at The University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant by the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to conduct research and lecture at The University of Zagreb, Croatia in spring 2008.

While lecturing at The University of Zagreb, Tir will conduct research on Croatia’s decision to withdraw from the Yugoslav federation in the early 1990s.

Tir came to UGA in 2003 as an assistant professor.  Since that time, Tir has been promoted to associate professor and just this year was the recipient of the Richard B. Russell Undergraduate Teaching Award.

“Professor Tir has impressive credentials,” said Howard J. Wiarda, Dean Rusk Professor of International Relations and head of the Department of International Affairs. “Not only is he an award-winning teacher, he is among the most and best published professors in the department.”

“The Fulbright award is a highly prestigious fellowship,” continued Wiarda. “It reflects Professor Tir’s significant accomplishments and also those of his department. His students will benefit as well!”

A native of Croatia, Tir attended Bethel College in Kansas, where he received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and history in 1995. Tir received his master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 1997 and 2001, respectively.

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals will travel abroad through the Fulbright Scholar Program this academic year.  Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Program’s purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world.