Hunting for Sabbatical Funding; Fulbright

A sabbatical is a break, a rest, designed to recharge people from whatever it is they do. In academia, it's aim is to reenergize faculty in their careers - often offered about once every 6 years, for a period of one semester or a full year (for partial pay).

In February 2020, I put in my application for tenure and promotion at Arizona State University, and soon thereafter (in the deep of early Covid-19 pandemic), started trying to plan for a potential sabbatical. I did not know how long the pandemic would last, but wanted to try to plan for the future and look forward to something to hope for as a way to cope with the stresses and uncertainties of the world.
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For years, I'd been saving in an e-folder potential sabbatical funding opportunities to refer back to when it was time. I applied for every opportunity I could as I looked for sabbatical possibilities, including a possible stint as a program officer for the National Science Foundation, science and technology fellowships with the AAAS, an executive branch fellowship by the American Psychological Association, a few specialized institutes and centers at Ivy League schools, and my dream goal of a Fulbright scholarship. I ended up applying for 11 different positions/fellowships in summer and fall of 2020 for a potential 2021/2022 sabbatical (if my tenure bid was successful, and if pandemic allowed for it). I was rejected outright from 8 of these applications, with finalist selection interviews for 3: one with Fulbright to go to Australia for 4 months, one to work in the executive branch in Washington DC for a year, and one to serve as a program officer for the National Science Foundation in Washington DC for a year (or maybe two). While one of these didn't work out, another was awarded, and I withdrew from the third once I knew about the Fulbright award.

The Fulbright timeline / application process:

• In 2018, I attended an excellent training session put on by ASU about Fulbright and how to apply. I learned at that training that the U.S. Scholar Program funds  teaching and/or research for 3-12 months in another country, with programs active in 125+ countries. I also learned you apply for a specific award (and in a specific country, with a specific award package), with a proposed project and host institution secured. I decided during that training that I wanted to try for it when I was eligible.
• In spring/summer 2020, I went "award shopping" on the CIES website to figure out where to apply. I whittled it down to four countries: Australia, Estonia, Iceland, and Romania. Ultimately, I decided to apply for Australia. Although the awards packages were more generous in the other countries, I had an established connection already with some colleagues in Sydney, and wanted to try to build on that foundation.
• I submitted my application on September 15, 2020. 
• I received a letter with an initial decision on December 21, 2020 (partial image of decision letter shown below). I was shocked and so excited to learn I passed the first hurdle! There is a multi-step selection process, including both an internal US step and then secondarily an external country step. 
• I recived the final decision letter on April 5, 2021, with the wonderful news that I had been awarded the Fulbright scholarship (partial image of decision letter shown below). I had tried not to get too excited about it, knowing it was unlikely...it was such amazing news to receive.

What is Fulbright all about?

• The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, was established shortly after WWII to strengthen relationships between the peoples of the U.S. and the rest of the world, toward enduring understanding of one another to sustain world peace.
• Fulbrighters are selected both for merit but also for their intentions for and capacities to contribute significantly to democratic society.
• Families of Fulbrighters are encouraged to participate in the cultural exchanges, toward building additional relationships between more people with the ultimate goal of understanding one another across countries toward world peace. 

Trying to align timelines....in a pandemic.

• I received news of my successful tenure bid on May 12, 2021 (whew!), and thus was able to apply for a sabbatical through ASU. That application was successful - my institution granted my request for leave in academic year 2021-2022. I opted to take a full year of sabbatical leave (i.e., relief from teaching and administrative duties), even though it comes with a 2/5 pay cut. I felt I needed the rejuvenation opportunity.
• Pandemic and border closures, etc. were not easy to manage regarding timelines. Though the dates of the Fulbright Award changed several times, creating a lot of headaches for a lot of reasons, we ultimately were very lucky to be able to secure our visas and make our way to Australia in Spring 2022.