FARMINGTON — F. Celeste Branham, University of Maine at Farmington vice president for student and community services, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for study in Germany this fall. Branham is one of only 20 higher education administrators in the United States selected to participate in the joint German-American Fulbright program.
“We are delighted that Celeste has received this great honor. She enjoys the highest respect at UMF, not just for her strong intellect and deep knowledge of higher education, but also for her extraordinary character,” said Kathryn A. Foster, UMF president. “We expect that she will make the most of this unique opportunity and bring back new understandings and approaches that will greatly benefit UMF, particularly our blossoming Partnership for Civic Advancement.”
According to the Fulbright Commission, the 2013 Fulbright Seminars for U.S. Administrators in International Education are “designed to introduce participants to the society, culture and higher education systems in France, Germany, United Kingdom, India, Japan or Korea through campus visits, meetings with foreign colleagues and government officials, attendance at cultural events and briefings on education. Participants gain new perspective on the need to internationalize U.S. campuses and insight into how it can be done.”
Branham will spend the first half of the program in Berlin, followed by travel to different Universities throughout Germany, and ending her study in Strasbourg, France.
“I am truly honored to be named a Fulbright scholar and delighted to be able to study in a focused way the German higher education apprenticeship program,” said Branham. “I know this exceptional program of study will inform the work we do in UMF’s Partnership for Civic Advancement and will be directly beneficial to our students.”
The Partnership for Civic Advancement is a center that collaborates with regional businesses and organizations to provide “real-world” learning opportunities for students that complement their course of study at UMF, and at the same time meet priority needs and strategic community development goals in Farmington and beyond.
For the last 8 years, Branham has overseen 12 student affairs areas at UMF concerned with the welfare and success of students and has been a member of the University’s leadership team. Branham is director of the UMF Partnership for Civic Advancement. She is also currently President of the Western Maine Community Action Board of Directors and a gubernatorial appointee to the Maine Commission for Community Service.
Branham earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Southern Maine, a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in public administration and has since received certifications for leadership studies at the Harvard JFK School of Government and higher education management at the Harvard School of Education.
