USF World News

Criminology Scholar Receives First Fulbright Postgraduate Award Named in Honor of USF President Judy Genshaft

TAMPA, Fla. (July 8, 2016) – British scholar Catherine Law has been selected as the first recipient of the University of South Florida's Fulbright Postgraduate Award, named in honor of USF System President Judy Genshaft. With the award, Law will begin her fully-funded criminology PhD program at USF in August.

The award honors Genshaft's commitment during her tenure to develop USF as a globally engaged university. Specifically it recognizes Genshaft's leadership in growing USF's presence in the United Kingdom and advancing the university's collaborative efforts with the Fulbright Scholars program.

USF maintains a strong partnership with the University of Exeter and this summer the second group of students is enrolled in the USF in London study abroad program.

In 2011 Genshaft and her husband, Steve Greenbaum, created an endowment of $1 million dedicated to the financial support of USF students who want to study abroad.

"Internationalization and global engagement have long been strategic priorities for the University of South Florida System. This commitment is reflected in our mission, faculty research, international programs and campus diversity," Genshaft said. "Through this award we can further extend USF's presence around the world, providing students with additional opportunities to become well educated global citizens."

Law graduated with a first-class honors degree in sociology from Scotland's Abertay University in 2015. She subsequently enrolled in a master's degree program in criminal justice at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Law has volunteered with abuse-prevention charities, including pioneering a campaign with the Fixers organization to challenge the stigma facing young mothers.

During her Fulbright program, Law plans to incorporate those volunteer experiences to study how organizations in the U.S. use innovative techniques to educate and empower young people to develop and maintain healthy relationships.

"We are excited to welcome Catherine to the university community and are looking forward to her research contributions," said Roger Brindley, USF System Vice President of USF World. "Fulbright scholars at USF will find an academic community deeply committed to developing theoretical and experimental knowledge and then applying those concepts through studies in the United States and around the world. USF Fulbright scholars will be nurtured by extraordinary researchers working in truly world-class facilities."

USF was among the top producing research institutions in the nation for Fulbright U.S. Scholars in 2015-16, according to an annual list published by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program.

For more information on the UK Fulbright Postgraduate Award, visit the Fulbright Commission's website. Applications for the 2017-18 academic year open on August 1.