CPS Professor Awarded A Fulbright Senior Specialist Grant

Almerinda Forte, Ph.D. reports that she “could not have asked for a better experience,” when she was queried about the two weeks she recently spent in Rome thanks to the Fulbright organization.

Dr. Forte was the recipient of a Fulbright Senior Specialist award which provides U.S. faculty and professionals short-term opportunities to participate in various academic activities, give lectures and interact with international colleagues, depending on the needs of the host country.

 “I taught Management, conducted workshops, Business Ethics Training, seminars and worked on program development” at the Instituto Universitario di Scienze Motorie di Roma (Rome University Institute of Movement Science), Forte explains. “I had a wonderful experience.”

An Associate Professor of Management and Chair of the Division of Administration and Economics in the College of Professional Studies, Forte has taught at St. John’s University for more than 10 years. She was one of many faculty members and administrators who attended an information meeting presented by the Fulbright organization on St. John’s Queen’s campus in Spring 2007.

“That presentation was excellent,” she recalls. “The Fulbright representative gave key points to address and was available to me while I wrote my proposal. She gave me inside information that I needed to match myself with a particular school. It was definitely a plus.”

Forte was able to match her expertise with the Rome University Institute of Movement Science which, she explains, provides education in what might best be described by Americans as a cross between Physical Therapy and Sport Management.  “Their curriculum involves more training courses than Business Management and is geared toward students who will provide training for children or the elderly, or become a trainer at a gym.”

Although Rome University wanted her for three weeks, Forte was only able to give them two as she had to close out the academic year at St. John’s before she left New York. Nevertheless, she was able to teach Management to the Italian students. “As much as I felt I contributed, I also got to see how they function.” Fully fluent in Italian, she would have liked to teach in that language but was specifically asked to teach in English. “They actually understood most of what I said in English, although I sometimes answered their questions in Italian.”

The president of the Rome University indicated to the St. John’s Management professor that he is very interested in implementing the American model for Sport Management at his institution, which would mean including more courses in Business Management. So, during the second week of her stay in Italy, Forte, who had developed Management courses for the Sport Management Program at St. John’s, worked on curriculum.

“St John’s has a well known Sport Management Program and [the Rome University administrators] are interested in seeing that program offered on our Rome campus. He’s interested in doing something jointly with us. He sees a market for it, not only among Italian students, who don’t get money from the State, but also among students from other European countries who do subsidize education.”

Forte indicates that she has brought all of this information back to the College of Professional Studies for discussion and consideration. She and her CPS colleagues are consulting with their deans to work out what St. John’s might be able to do jointly with Rome University in the future.

Considering that she was in Rome for just two weeks, Forte feels a lot was accomplished and she is grateful for the opportunity provided by the Fulbright Senior Specialist Program.

“The Fulbright enabled me to share my expertise in a different cultural environment, while at the same time gave me joy and satisfaction for my work.  The Fulbright principal mission of people-to-people mutual understanding very well matched my own. The experience allowed me the opportunity to exchange with my Italian colleagues what I have learned from being a professor, and what I have experienced in my academic environment, my work and community activities, in my classroom lectures, assignments and teaching strategies. 

“I believe I made a contribution and, in turn, had the opportunity to interact, discuss and evaluate different viewpoints and perspectives that my fellow colleagues share and hold. I feel being a part of the Fulbright Senior Specialists Program is a vital part of the process of educating the educator.”