SIPI Staff Member Christopher Harrington Receives Prestigious J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Award to Pakistan

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  – The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) is proud to announce that Christopher Harrington, a member of the Comanche Nation in Oklahoma and a SIPI staff member, has been selected to receive a J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship grant to Pakistan. Harrington is the chairperson of the Department of Liberal Arts and Business Education.  He was selected by the presidentially appointed 12-member J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Under the program, Harrington will share his knowledge of Indian law, Native American communities and the higher education system with colleagues in Pakistan.

“Being awarded the 2018-2019 Fulbright Foreign Scholarship grant is such a tremendous honor,” said Harrington. “I am so humbled and excited to be representing not only the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and the people of the United States, but the Comanche Nation, as well, to the people of Pakistan. My hope is that this experience will give me, SIPI students, and the students and people of Pakistan a better understanding of each other’s culture in the hopes of building a stronger relationship between the two countries and our indigenous populations.”

“To have a staff member selected for this noteworthy international award is an honor and speaks to the high-quality staff among our faculty,” said SIPI President Dr. Sherry Allison. “We are looking forward to his return to the SIPI campus, when he will bring back to us a deeper and richer understanding of the people of Pakistan while helping us to build a stronger relationship with the J. William Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program to access other resources for SIPI.”

“I want to congratulate Mr. Harrington on his selection,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs John Tahsuda. “He is joining the ranks of previous distinguished participants, and exemplifies the excellence and leadership of SIPI’s staff that will allow him to share his unique professional knowledge and experiences abroad.”

“This is a remarkable opportunity to be able to study, teach and conduct research internationally,” said Bureau of Indian Education Director Tony L. Dearman. “This highly competitive program and selection of Mr. Harrington, speaks to the depth and breadth of SIPI’s staff, and their passion to reach out beyond the classroom and make a difference on a global scale.”

The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Program, which aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.  Fulbright alumni have become heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs and university presidents, as well as leading journalists, artists, scientists and teachers.  They include 59 Nobel Laureates, 82 Pulitzer Prize winners 71 MacArthur Fellows, 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients and thousands of leaders across the private, public and non-profit sectors, since its inception in 1946, more than 380,000 “Fulbrighters” have participated in the Program.

The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs supports the Secretary of the Interior in carrying out the Department’s responsibilities to the federally recognized tribes through BIA and BIE programs and services. The BIA’s mission includes developing and protecting Indian trust lands and natural and energy resources; supporting social welfare, public safety and justice in tribal communities; and promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance.  For more information, visit the Indian Affairs website.

SIPI is one of two colleges and universities operated by BIE; the other is Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas.  The BIE also administers grants for more than thirty tribally controlled colleges and universities and provides higher education scholarships to Native youth. The BIE also implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools located on 64 reservations in 23 states and peripheral dormitories serving more than 48,000 students.  For more information, visit the BIE website.

SIPI is a 1994 land-grant college preparing students from 16 states to be life-long learners through partnerships with tribes and other organizations.  For more information, visit the SIPI website.