Rockinson-Szapkiw Selected as Fulbright Specialist

Tenure of service will run through 2025

Dr. Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, professor of the Instructional Design and Technology program in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, has been selected as a Fulbright Specialist for a four-year tenure, serving from 2021-2025. Rockinson-Szapkiw was nominated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and World Learning Peer Review Panel for this position, given her research and expertise in gender equity, persistence, online systems and learning science.  

Rockinson-Szapkiw has focused her research and practice on the development and investigation of systems (such as family, technological, institutional) to assist all learners in thriving and persisting toward their academic and vocational goals. She is especially interested in the contexts of higher education and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), seeking to understand how systems, especially technology and web-based ones, can be developed to advance and broaden the participation of women in these areas. Therefore, over the past decade, her research has focused on: doctoral education and persistence, distance education and technological systems, and gender and racial equity in STEM. Her recent publication Navigating the Peer Relationship: A Handbook for Women and Other Underrepresented Populations in STEM showcases her interest in collaboration with others. This research and her interest in mentorship and collaboration makes her uniquely suited for the Fulbright Specialist program.

During her tenure as a Fulbright Specialist, Rockinson-Szapkiw will work with international host institutions on short-term research, professional and educational projects that align with her research and professional and academic experiences. Serving on the Fulbright Specialist Roster will enable Rockinson-Szapkiw to share her expertise, collaborate internationally, and strengthen the relationships between the University of Memphis and universities outside the US. Rockinson-Szapkiw is honored to represent the University of Memphis in this program by advancing, distributing, and sharing knowledge across international communities. She hopes her participation will further the Fulbright’s and University of Memphis’ vision of “developing a respectful, mutual understanding across nations and improving lives around the world.”

Rockinson-Szapkiw states, “I am honored to have this opportunity, knowing it will result in internal exchanges that will inspire deep thinking and changes in both parties and projects that will hopefully be catalysts for peace, respect and inclusion of all diverse individuals.” 

For more information on this announcement, contact Rockinson-Szapkiw at rcknsnsz@memphis.edu.