Guiliano Global Fellowships Connect Seawolves With the World

In an increasingly interconnected world, continental and international experience is becoming more and more essential as an element of the college experience.

Now, more students at Stony Brook University will enjoy greater access to these vital experiences through the Edward Guiliano Global Fellowship Program, a new initiative funded by a generous gift from PhD alumnus Edward Guiliano ’78 and his wife, Mireille Guiliano. The Guiliano Global Fellowship Program will provide merit-based grants to creative and curious undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences for independent research, scholarly activities and artistic expression projects across the country and around the world, including University-sponsored study abroad programs.

“Students are certainly challenged today financially and temporally to move outside their university surroundings to explore their creative and scholarly passions when doing so may prove to be essential and transformative experiences in their personal and professional development,” said Guiliano, who is bringing this program to Stony Brook after introducing it during his tenure as President of New York Institute of Technology, and expanding it to include his undergraduate alma mater, Brown University. “This program will empower students to explore the world in creative ways, opening doors to new academic and cultural experiences across the globe. One cannot be too culturally literate.”

“Since coming to Stony Brook, I’ve been pleased to call Ed Guiliano a colleague,” said Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. “I am delighted that he and Mireille are bringing the Guiliano Global Fellowship program to Stony Brook, and I look forward to seeing our students reap the benefits of this powerful opportunity.”

On a campus where 40 percent of undergraduate students are Pell eligible, the support available through the Guiliano Global Fellowship Program has the potential to be truly transformative for students who otherwise would never have a chance to travel any great distance from campus or home to pursue their academic and artistic endeavors.

One of the unique features of the Guiliano Global Fellowship is that funds will be available for use during Winter Session (between the fall and spring semesters), when financial aid typically is not available. More important, the structure of the fellowship and its application process — which includes a personal statement in addition to the project proposal — encourage students to pursue their passions, and propose projects that matter to them.

“Since creating this program,” Guiliano said, “I’ve had the pleasure of watching students use the flexibility it provides to execute their own ideas. Mireille and I are proud to be able to give students at Stony Brook the opportunity to engage with the broader world and advance their education.”

The international experience students gain through the Guiliano Global Fellowship Program will also bolster their résumés as they pursue postgraduate opportunities abroad through Fulbright scholarships and other prestigious programs. Most important, though, is that the students selected for the Fellowship will graduate as stronger global citizens, better able to connect across cultures as they pursue their careers.

“We take great pride at Stony Brook in the breadth of international study programs that we offer,” said Provost Michael A. Bernstein, “and in the way we encourage our students to enrich their education through pursuing opportunities around the world. The support offered by Edward and Mireille Guiliano through the Guiliano Global Fellowship program will play a transformational role in making those opportunities more accessible for students in the College of Arts and Sciences.”

An additional feature of the program will provide research and travel stipends for PhD students in the humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences, where Guiliano earned his own PhD 40 years ago.

“The College of Arts and Sciences is proud to count Edward Guiliano among our alumni,” said Nicole Sampson, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, “and we are truly grateful for his and Mireille’s generous support of our undergraduate and PhD students through the Guiliano Global Fellowship Program.”

— Elliot Olshansky

Edward Guiliano Global Fellowship: Are you eligible?

Undergraduate Awards

• Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students in the SBU College of Arts and Sciences.
• Projects must take place at least 200 miles from the student’s home or the Stony Brook campus. International travel and projects outside of New York State are encouraged.
• Credit-bearing activities require approval by a Stony Brook faculty member in the applicant’s major, minor, or other relevant academic department.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing; those with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher will be especially competitive.
• Proposed travel must conclude prior to the applicant’s graduation date.
• Students may only receive the Guiliano Global Travel Fellowship once during their undergraduate career.
• A Final Project Report is required for all funded projects and should include a brief written narrative together with media (photos, video, audio, etc.) that comments on the details of the project, findings and impact on student learning.
• Students may submit proposals for group projects.

Graduate Awards

• Applicants must be full-time doctoral students in the humanities in SBU College of Arts and Sciences.
• Projects must take place at least 200 miles from the student’s home or the Stony Brook campus with the exception of specialized non-academic career training.
• Credit-bearing related activities require approval by a Stony Brook faculty member in the applicant’s relevant academic department.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing.
• Proposed travel must conclude prior to the applicant’s graduation date.
• Students may only receive the Guiliano Global Fellowship once during their graduate career.
• A Final Project Report is required for all funded projects and should include a brief written narrative together with media (photos, video, audio, etc.) that comments on the details of the project, findings and impact on student learning.
• Students may submit proposals for group projects.