The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased to announce that Dr. Matthew McGraw, Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Academic Services at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Russia in Comparative Higher Education Systems. Dr. McGraw will research and lecture at several universities in the cities of Moscow, Volgograd, and Tula as part of the Fulbright International Administrators Seminar Program.
Dr. McGraw has served as an administrator at DSLCC since 2009, first coming to the college as Director of Student Services.
He is one of over 800 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research, and/or provide expertise abroad for the 2019-2020 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.
"I am honored and humbled to be a part of the Fulbright tradition and grateful to DSLCC for the support and encouragement,” said Dr. McGraw. “DSLCC is a treasure and I look forward to sharing some piece of that with institutions of higher learning in Russia."
“The College could not be more proud of Dr. McGraw,” remarked DSLCC President Dr. John Rainone. “This is a real honor that not many have received and is a big deal for him as well as DSLCC.”
Dr. McGraw holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Concord University, a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership from Mountain State University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University.
Dr. McGraw’s professional and administrative experiences include positions in Housing and Residence Life, Admissions, Student Services, Institutional Effectiveness, Institutional Research, and Academic Services including those of Associate Vice President, Director of Student Services, Adjunct Instructor, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Interim Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research.
He currently serves on the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Academic and Student Affairs Council, the Virginia Higher Education Substance Use Advisory Committee, is a former Chair of the VCCS Council of Deans and Directors (2016-2017), and is a graduate of the VCCS Faculty and Administrator Leadership Academy.
In addition to the Fulbright award, Dr. McGraw is a recipient of the Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Hammond, Sr. Faculty International Development Grant for his project titled A Comparative Study of Scandinavian Folk Schools and the Comprehensive Community Colleges of the United States (2019), an Association of Institutional Research Julia M. Duckwall Scholar (2018), and a Council of Graduate Schools Fellow (2014).
Topics on additional written works and contributions have included addressing non-academic barriers facing rural community students; crisis management in community colleges; and student ambassador programs as leadership development tools.
Dr. McGraw is also active in his community, serving as a trustee for the Alleghany Highlands Regional Library, coaching for the Alleghany Highlands Youth Sports League, coordinating the Miles for Meals at DSLCC, and serving as Camp Woods and Wildlife Fly Fishing instructor. He lives in Covington, VA, with his wife, Darilyn, and their daughter, Claire.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given more than 390,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Fulbrighters address critical global challenges in all disciplines, while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 59 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 84 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.