Student receives Fulbright

Sara Mettlen
Staff Writer
April 8, 2004, Page 1

After a long application process, Aaron Hall has been selected as a Fulbright Scholar to Germany.
According to the Fulbright Mission, the program was created following World War II in 1946.
The program’s goal is to increase understanding between countries by cultural and educational exchange. Maureen Franklin, adviser of the Fulbright Program at Doane, described it as a nationwide competition to study aboard for one year following graduation.
A senior majoring in International Business, German and Political Science, Hall will be completing a research project about military history in Potsdam Germany to fulfill the Fulbright Program.
Hall said that he first began the application process about a year ago, working with German professor H. Peter Reinkordt on his project proposal. With Reinkordt’s help, he narrowed the focus of his proposed research and prepared a rough draft in August.
Reinkordt said that he and Hall met several times over the summer to decide which project Hall would be most likely successful with. He said that the project is good for Hall because it combines his interests and education.
“[Aaron] is unique in that he has an intimate of the military at a young age,” Reinkordt said. “This project gives a chance to understand the difficulties some Germans had [with the military].”
Reinkordt also said that in the last year, Colin Powell has written an article speaking about military personnel needing experience in foreign countries so that they are better able to relate to the countries’ civilians when they are there on duty, further adding to the significance of Hall’s project.
In October, Hall interviewed with the Fulbright committee to get a letter of recommendation. The committee sent the letter of recommendation to New York to be approved by the Department of State. Hall found out in December that his application had been approved and sent on to Germany.
Hall said he chose Germany because he knew that his greatest expertise was in German. His project will focus on the relationship between the United States and German militaries, and how it is changing now that the German military is integrating into the European Union.
“It’s a really complicated topic,” Hall said.
He noted that it was a relevant issue with the question of whether the European Union will support the United States’ stance on looming terrorism.
Hall is in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corp and found out midway through the process that he was assigned military intelligence.
He is integrating the Fulbright and military research into the same project.
Right now, Hall is going through medical procedures, getting blood work done and a complete medical history so that he can live overseas.
He will arrive in Kiel or Regensburg, Germany in August to take his orientation language course. From there, he will go to Potsdam in September, where he will stay until July 2005.
“It’s an exciting process,” Hall said. “It’s been kind of a dream come true.”
Franklin said that Kari Quammen has reached the final round for a teaching award in France. She will know later this spring if she will be a Fulbright Scholar. If awarded, she will teach English in a French public school.
Franklin said that Doane has had more Fulbright Scholars than any other private university in Nebraska.
“They’re carrying on a Doane tradition of being selected as Fulbright Scholars,” Franklin said.
Doane has had 44 Fulbright Scholars.
“It opens up many opportunities because they are part of this network of Fulbright Scholars,” Franklin said. “It’s a big step.”

Gartner uses Nebraskan experiences in Kazahkstan

Sara Mettlen
Staff Writer
Mar. 11, 2004, Page 3

For a kid from Nebraska, it’s hard to find a place more remote than home.
Travis Gartner, a native of Tecumseh, has found a place to fit the bill. He is currently living in Atbasar, Kazahkstan, doing work in connection with the Peace Corps to earn his masters degree in non-governmental organization (NGO) management from Rutgers University.
Gartner was never the traditional student. After graduating from high school, he joined the Marines and was involved in the first Gulf War. His lieutenant encouraged him to further his schooling, and he eventually ended up at Doane College, graduating in 2001.
Gartner’s job is to get groups of people in his region together and organize them to do what needs to be done to help their society. He has coordinated several different local organizations including a theater club and a center for women. His current project is building a library.
Gartner, who still regularly emails some of his old Doane professors, asked for help in gathering books for his library about a year ago. Associate Greman professor H. Peter Reinkordt took the lead and began asking around for books to send over to Kazahkstan.
Collecting books from colleagues in the English department, donated books from the library, old textbooks from his wife who teaches at Lincoln Southeast High School and also donated books from a UNL graduate student who is student-teaching at Southeast, as well as taking from his own personal collection, Reinkordt has gathered and sent over 120 pounds of books to Gartner.
It costs approximately one dollar per pound of books to ship to Atbasar. Doane is paying the shipping costs for the books, which will take about two months to get to Kazahkstan.
“What we hope will happen is that we establish a link,” Reinkordt said. “If we can set that up so that we have contacts in Kazahkstan, we can continue helping by sending books over.”
Reinkordt is still looking for around 100 more pounds of books to send over.
“To me, it’s tremendously interesting what a Doane graduate is doing,” Reinkordt said. “His [Gartner’s] experience will be something that he carries with him his entire life. If a student is open, it’s amazing what they can do.”