1. Welcome to
Romanian Alumni
Community
Romanian Alumni Community
Monthly Newsletter
Bucharest, July 31, 2011
Volume I, Issue 7
Alumni News
From Alumni
Table of Contents
Alumni News
► U.S. Alumni and Grantees
 Alumni Participation at the Pre-departure Orientation  New Book Published by U.S. Fulbright Alumni
for Romanian Grantees Ronald F. King and Paul Sum
 Thank You, Dorina!  Black Sea Twilight - Talk and Book Presentation
 Q&A Live on The Role of the Media in Conflict and by U.S. Fulbright Alumna Domnica Rădulescu
Peacebuilding  Article about U.S. Fulbright-Hays Alumnus in
 The Role of the Diaspora in Fostering Friendship Be- Romanian Media
tween Homeland and Hostland
From Alumni Alumni Information
► Romanian Alumni and Grantees Alumni Links
 Fulbright Researcher in Gender Studies at Columbia
University
 Junior Fulbright Grantee, Awarded the Romanian
Press Club Award for Best Feature Writing
 Fulbright, the Freedom to Study
http://www.facebook.com/
Romanian.US.Fulbright.Commission
https://alumni.state.gov/romania www.fulbright.ro 1

2. Bucharest, July 31, 2011
Volume I, Issue 7
Alumni News
Alumni Participation at the Pre-departure Orientation for Romanian Grantees
On July 7, the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission organized a pre-departure orientation in honor of
the Romanian grantees and independent students starting their study program in the U.S., academic
year 2011-2012. Fulbrighters, Hubert H. Humphrey and Teaching Excellence and Achievement Pro-
gram grantees had the opportunity to meet high officials of the U.S. Embassy, Ministry of Foreign Af-
fairs, members of the Romanian Fulbright Board of Directors, American and Romanian Fulbright
alumni, professors and researchers. The Romanian and U.S. alumni conducted different sessions re-
lated with the Academic Environment in U.S., Living in the United States, the Culture Factor, Q&A ses-
sions and workshops in order to introduce the new grantees to the American environment. Thank you
for all your help and good luck to the new grantees!
Thank You, Dorina!
Dr. Dorina Gutu is leaving her position of Executive Director for the Romanian-U.S Ful-
bright Commission at the end of July, after a three year long intensive and fruitful
presence at the head of the Commission. Let us wish Dorina all the best in her future
life and career!
Mihai Moroiu, former Director of the American Program, will serve as Interim Executive Director for the
following period.
Q&A Live on The Role of the Media in Conflict and Peacebuilding
On August 3, at 18:00 (Bucharest time) Sheldon Himelfarb, director of the Center of In-
novation on Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding from the United States Institute of
Peace, will join the State Alumni Community for a Q&A Live chat on the role of media in
conflict and peacebuilding. Mr. Himelfarb is an award-winning filmmaker, former com-
mentator for National Public Radio and author of numerous articles on politics, popular
culture and conflict. He has managed peacebuilding programs in numerous conflicts, in-
cluding Bosnia, Iraq, Angola, Liberia, Macedonia, Burundi and received the Capitol Area
Peace Maker award from American University. To participate, please follow the link https://
alumni.state.gov/news2/qa-live/qa-live/the-role-of-the-media-in-conflict-and-peacebuilding
The Role of the Diaspora in Fostering Friendship Between Homeland and
Hostland
Dr. Liesl Riddle, associate dean for MBA Programs and co-director of the Diaspora
Research Program at George Washington University will join the State Alumni on
August 30, at 18:00 (Bucharest time) for an online discussion on the Role of the
Diaspora in Fostering Friendship Between Homeland and Hostland. Undersecretary
of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero acknowledged the impor-
tance of the diaspora communities in her remarks during the launch of International Diaspora Engage-
ment Alliance (IdEA) at the Secretary’s Global Diaspora Forum in May 2011, saying, “In many ways,
you are the most effective diplomats we could have.” More details at: https://alumni.state.gov/news2/
qa-live/qa-live/role-of-the-diaspora-in-fostering-friendship-between-homeland-and-hostland
https://alumni.state.gov/romania www.fulbright.ro
2

3. Bucharest, July 31, 2011
Volume I, Issue 7
From Alumni
► Romanian Alumni and Grantees
Fulbright Researcher in Gender Studies at Columbia University
Monica Stancu - Fulbright Junior Alumna 2009-2010, Sarah Lawrence College –
was invited as a visiting scholar to the Institute for Research on Women and Gen-
der at Columbia University in New York, NY. Monica’s research focuses
on Romanian women immigrants who came to the U.S. during and after commu-
nism. During her stage at Columbia University she will explore how these women
immigrants shaped their activist movements both in the U.S. and in Romania.
Monica Stancu’s host at Columbia University will be Professor Alice Kessler-Harris,
an expert on the history of American labor and the comparative and interdiscipli-
nary exploration of women and gender.
Junior Fulbright Grantee, Awarded the Romanian Press Club Award for Best Feature Writing
Simina Mistreanu, a Junior Fulbright Grantee in 2011-2012, has been awarded the
Romanian Press Club Award for best feature writing. She received the award for the
article “Dana’s Choices”, a story about how a woman changed her life after being
diagnosed with breast cancer, published in Decat o revista magazine.
The Romanian Press Club Award is a national prize conferred every year for the best
pieces of print, radio, TV and digital journalism. The Romanian Press Club is the first
professional press association established in Romania, which has the role to super-
vise the adherence to the deontological code and to promote quality journalism.
Simina Mistreanu was admitted in a Master’s program in Journalism at the University
of Missouri-Columbia, as a Fulbright Grantee, in the years 2011-2012.
Fulbright, the Freedom to Study
The Fulbright program in Romania was present in a one-hour live show hosted by Radio France Inter-
national (RFI) Bucharest on Monday, July 25. Dr. Anca Peiu, University of Bucharest, Cezar Ghioca,
stage director, C. Tanase Musical Theatre, both alumni of the program, together with Cristina Modre-
anu, Editor-in-Chief of The Stage magazine, and a Fulbright Senior 2011-2012, and Mihai Moroiu, Ful-
bright Commission Executive Director A.I. have spoken about the Fulbright cultural and educational
exchanges and their impact at global, institutional and personal level.
More details at http://www.rfi.ro/articol/asculta-rfi-ro/fulbright-libertatea-studia
http://www.facebook.com/
Romanian.US.Fulbright.Commission
https://alumni.state.gov/romania www.fulbright.ro
3

4. Bucharest, July 31, 2011
Volume I, Issue 7
From Alumni
► U.S. Alumni and Grantees
New Book Published by U.S. Fulbright Alumni Ronald F. King and Paul
Sum
The book edited by Ronald F. King and Paul Sum entitled Romania under Bas-
escu: Aspirations, Achievements, and Frustrations during His First Presidential
is comprised of seventeen contributions from scholars in Europe and North
America, examining the Basescu period from a variety of theoretical and em-
pirical perspectives.
Four more alumni are among the contributors of the book: Radu Dudau, Gabriel
Badescu – Romanian Fulbright alumni, John M. Polimeni and Jonathan Stillo –
U.S. Fulbrighters to Romania.
More details about the book are available at:
http://www.lexingtonbooks.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?
command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0739148567
Black Sea Twilight - Talk and Book Presentation by U.S. Fulbright Alumna Domnica Rădulescu
On July 21, Romanian-born American writer Domnica Radulescu, author of best-
selling Train to Trieste and U.S. Fulbright alumna presented in London her most re-
cent novel – Black Sea Twilight.
Domnica Radulescu discussed some of the creative processes and sources of inspira-
tion that lead to the creation of Black Sea Twilight in light of her experience of grow-
ing up in Romania under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu and of her experience
as an émigré in the Western world. Domnica offered her authorial perspective on the
protagonist of the novel, Nora Teodoru, an aspiring visual artist, courageous adven-
turer and passionate young Romanian woman, through the lens of the interconnect-
edness between the female body and the female creative imagination and the ways
in which the latter is affected by the experience of exile.
Article about U.S. Fulbright-Hays Alumnus in Romanian Media
In an article published by Revista 22 Jonathan Stillo, Fulbright-Hays grantee in
2009-2010 talks about his experience and work in the field of Anthropology in
Romania.
To read the entire article, please follow the link below.
http://www.revista22.ro/articol-10877.html
https://alumni.state.gov/romania www.fulbright.ro 4

5. Bucharest, July 31, 2011
Volume I, Issue 7
Alumni Information
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This Newsletter is produced by the Romanian Alumni Coordinator
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