Rose-Hulman is continuing to expand its global education outreach by welcoming mathematical scholar and senior lecturer Lucy Muthoni, PhD, from Kenya as the Institute’s Visiting Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence for the rest of the 2023-24 school year.

The program brings visiting international scholars to U.S. colleges and universities. It helps the institutions internationalize their curricula, campuses and surrounding communities, and diversify the educational experiences of their students, faculty, staff, and community residents.

“Dr. Muthoni uses education to give people a chance to pursue their callings in life and change the world,” said Rose-Hulman Associate Mathematics Professor Wayne Tarrant, PhD, who is supervising Muthoni’s Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence activities after having a similar experience as a visiting scholar/lecturer at Strathmore University Institute of Mathematical Sciences (SIMS) in Nairobi, Kenya, during the 2021-22 school year.

“The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence is a very competitive program and it’s prestigious for Rose-Hulman to be selected to host a scholar this year,” Tarrant added. “Dr. Muthoni and I worked together in Kenya, so it seemed natural for us to continue collaborating in the U.S. We began the Fulbright application process while I was still in Nairobi as a Fulbright Core Scholar, assisted by administration at Strathmore University and Rose-Hulman. After multiple screenings, Rose-Hulman among a select group to be chosen to host a Scholar-in-Residence for this academic year.” 

According to a Fulbright organization news release, the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program is bringing more than 45 Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence and 1,000 foreign faculty and professionals to teach and pursue research in America during the 2023-24 school year.

At Rose-Hulman, Muthoni will lecture on a variety of mathematical topics in the Department of Mathematics and mentor students, especially those interested in entrepreneurship. She also plans to talk to Wabash Valley business leaders about possible future investment and business opportunities in Nairobi. Visits to other American universities may expand global education outreach experiences.

“We’re striving to take full advantage of this unique opportunity for Rose-Hulman and our students,” stated Tarrant.

Muthoni has more than 15 years of experience in teaching in and outside of Kenya and has used mathematics and other acquired skills to solve several financial issues within the east African region. She worked with the Kenyan Commission for Revenue Allocation since 2016 to develop aspects of the formula used by the Kenyan government to share revenue among the 47 county governments. She also has advised entities within South Africa, Ghana and Kenya about bringing systematic resolutions to financial challenges. Her teaching experiences helped facilitate training programs for black teachers in the new South African education system and she has mentored students in research projects featured in a Harvard University educational journal. 

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program and is supported by partner countries throughout the world. Twenty current, emeriti or past Rose-Hulman faculty have been Fulbright Faculty Scholars, teaching and expanding their global experiences in such countries as Japan, Ireland, India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Germany, Lebanon, Iceland, and Nigeria. Some of those experiences have been incorporated into courses, academic initiatives and international projects.