Release

Gilbert A. Valverde Named Fulbright Specialist

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 956-8150

ALBANY, N.Y. (August 4, 2006) -- Gilbert A. Valverde, on the faculty of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, has been named a Fulbright Senior Specialist.

Valverde is hosted by Catholic University of Uruguay, where he will share his work and support the university in the development of research agendas and degree programs in educational policy and evaluation. He will also coordinate research with the Ministry of Education and the National Council on Higher Education, and will share work with academics from throughout Uruguay in two formal colloquia organized by the Fulbright Commission, Catholic University and the Ministry of Education. He will also participate in national news programs. He is currently director and principal investigator of the Educational Evaluation Research Consortium, which is conducting a series of longitudinal studies of educational opportunities in mathematics and reading comprehension from fourth to seventh grade in the Dominican Republic.

Susan D. Phillips, dean of the School of Education, said, "It's an honor for Professor Valverde to receive this important acclaim. He is a tireless and committed researcher and teacher, and this recognition will enhance his work and the School of Education's international reach and reputation."

Valverde, an affiliated faculty member of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, Graduate School of Public Affairs, specializes in applied research in curriculum policy, policy analysis, evaluation and indicator systems and development assistance for education. Valverde has published widely in the areas of policy analysis and educational development, and has served as advisor and consultant to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Governors' Association, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and a number of international organizations, ministries of education, foundations, school districts and non-governmental organizations throughout the Americas. He received his doctorate from the University of Chicago.

The Fulbright Senior Specialists Program is administered by the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board, the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars. The Specialist program differs from the traditional Fulbright Scholar competition in that the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) builds a roster of specialists in a variety of disciplines, who are recommended by peer review committees and approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board become candidates for special Fulbright Senior Specialist projects. The intent of the program is to foster international scholarly exchanges by matching senior expertise to requests for such expertise made to the local Fulbright Committees of participating countries.