For the month of October, the Colorado Mesa University vice president of academic affairs was not in Colorado. Instead, Cynthia Pemberton flew across the Atlantic to the Kingdom of Jordan.

“There were nights I could hear the muffled sounds of bombs in the Syrian distance, and even so, I was hosted for festive meals and events in homes and outside in lovely patios,” Pemberton said in the interview with CMU marketing.

Pemberton was able to go to Jordan on the Fulbright specialist award.

“A Fulbright is not a scholarship, it is a highly prestigious educational scholar project award designed to facilitate intercultural communication and connection,” Pemberton wrote over email.

Pemberton was awarded the Fulbright specialist award this past July. With permission of CMU, she was able to take leave and head to Jordan.

This program is part of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Pemberton has been involved in the Fulbright since she was selected to teach at the University of Malta in 2011, but she received this special award which helped her branch internationally.

Pemberton spent her time at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST).

“In higher education, many of the issues, concerns and time demands are consistent regardless of whether one is at a science and technology institution with 23,000 students in Jordan or at CMU,” Pemberton said in her interview with the CMU marketing department.

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According to the Fulbright website, those who apply for the specialist award are selected based on “their knowledge, skill sets and ability to make a significant contribution to projects overseas.” Those chosen are matched with projects from foreign places.

“In my case, the project involved 30 interviews with various vice presidents, deans, department heads, directors and the President of JUST,” Pemberton wrote over email. “The objective was to do a workload assessment of personnel and processes, conduct a gap analysis of what I found from the interviews and best practice norms at research-intensive and research-teaching institutions and then make recommendations specific to personnel and process improvements to bridge those gaps.”

The other objective according to the CMU marketing department based off her interview was  to “ benchmark with corresponding practice in US universities and recommend correction measures to balance time spent on regulatory business with that which must be spent on quality assurance and continuous improvements.”

“I went sight-seeing, enjoyed evening walks on campus and swims in the sports facility,” Pemberton said in her interview with CMU marketing department. “They live lives just like we do; filled with family, friends and the opportunity to engage in meaningful work.”

Pemberton returned to CMU, but according to the Fulbright website, her job is not over. “Specialists are strongly encouraged to continue to work with host institutions in the years following their initial exchange, creating opportunities for ongoing corporations and consultancies,” the Fulbright website says.

She applied for the roster of the specialist program in 2014.

“The roster candidate then replies as to their willingness to respond to the project request and information is sent to the requesting institution/ country on specialist soster candidates who have agreed to be considered,” Pemberton wrote over email. “The requesting institution/country then selects and individual. That individual then brings their expertise and skills to work on behalf of the project.”