University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides is one of seven Fulbright alumni who will receive the inaugural IIE Global Changemaker Award in celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program.
Fulbright, administered by IIE on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, builds relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, impacting local communities and the world by providing innovative and inclusive educational exchange opportunities for current and future leaders.
“We applaud these Fulbright alumni not only for what they have achieved, but for their continued commitment to transform society and humanity through their work,” said Allan E. Goodman, president and CEO of IIE. “Their vision and their accomplishments are a fitting tribute to the impact and innovation of the Fulbright Program’s first 70 years.”
Pastides whose parents are from Famagusta is a former Fulbright senior research fellow at the University of Athens Medical School (1987-88). Prior to joining the Carolina faculty as dean of the Arnold School of Public Health, Pastides was a professor of epidemiology and chairman of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He received his master’s in public health and his Ph.D. in epidemiology from Yale University.
The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually and currently operates in over 160 countries worldwide. Program alumni include 33 current or former heads of state or government, 54 Nobel Laureates, 82 Pulitzer Prize winners, 29 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, and thousands of leaders across the private, public and nonprofit sectors.
Besides Pastides, other inaugural winners include prominent journalist and human rights activist Sergio Aguayo, the late former Assistant Secretary of State William Bader, international education veteran John Bader, Emmy award-nominated National Geographic correspondent Mireya Mayor, reproductive and sexual health expert Purnima Mane, social innovator and literacy advocate Rana Dajani and noted philanthropist and former CEO of ADP, Josh Weston.
