Valerie Jones likes a challenge. When she received a Fulbright Scholar Award in 2022, people told her it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she thought, “Is it?”
Jones, who is the interim associate dean for research and faculty affairs at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications, is a 2026 recipient of a Fulbright Specialist Program award. She’s also one of a handful of people at UNL to ever be selected for two different Fulbright awards.
Jones is working with the University of Agder in Norway through June 6. There, Jones is providing her professional expertise on a project designed to widen the university’s global outreach. She is also building partnerships that further journalism and communications and strengthen experiential learning within the university and across the globe.
Jones will also conduct a brand and communications audit of Agder's Information Systems Ph.D. program, assessing how the program is perceived globally and providing recommendations for attracting high-quality international applicants.
“I appreciate that the College of Journalism and Mass Communications really values both academic research and professional industry experience, and I can draw on both of those for these Fulbright awards,” Jones said.
At the University of Agder, Jones will draw on her professional experience to lead workshops on social media strategy and deliver guest lectures in executive education courses on responsible artificial intelligence, data ethics and digital communications.
“We talk to our students all the time about networking and how important it is at any point in your career,” she said. “I’m grateful for the people across University of Nebraska campuses who advised me along the way and helped make this opportunity possible.”
The Fulbright Specialist Program connects U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions worldwide to work on short-term collaborative projects that support knowledge exchange and institutional development.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and those of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and foreign receiving institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
