Saint Martin's English Professor Jamie Olson, Ph.D. receives Fulbright Award to teach in Tbilisi

LACEY, Wash. – Saint Martin’s University English professor Jamie Olson, Ph.D., is the recipient of a Fulbright Award in Tbilisi.

Dr. Olson’s award from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Scholarship Board, will enable him to teach English at Ilia State University in Tbilisi, Georgia during the 2022-2023 academic year. He will also be translating Georgian poetry with colleagues, researching literature and culture of the Caucasus for a publication, and building institutional connections between Ilia State University and Saint Martin’s University.  

“It is such an important time to be establishing relationships with international institutions, and particularly in that region of the world,” shares Saint Martin’s University Dean of College of Arts and Sciences Aaron Coby, Ph.D. “Dr. Olson’s translations and teaching will provide cultural and personal connections that just can’t be accomplished any other way. The Fulbright program is an amazing opportunity for faculty, and we’re so proud that Dr. Olson has been chosen to represent us. And I’m personally excited to hear all the stories he brings back.” 

The program’s goal is to develop relationships between people of the United States and those of other countries. It operates in about 160 countries and receives added support from participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in those countries. 

“This is a wonderful recognition of Dr. Olson’s work and leadership while also bringing national and international recognition to Saint Martin’s University,” said Saint Martin’s University Provost Kate Boyle, Ph.D. “It is one of the most prestigious recognitions that university faculty receive. Dr. Olson joins several other faculty members from Saint Martin’s University to be recognized by the Fulbright Scholar Program. For an institution of our size, we have had an exceptional number of our faculty recognized – particularly from our College of Arts and Sciences.” 

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright program is an annual appropriation by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.   

“I am honored to receive my Fulbright, and I am excited to spend time in Tbilisi, a city I have never visited,” shares Jamie Olson, Ph.D., Saint Martin’s University English professor. “For a poetry specialist like me, the country of Georgia is the perfect place to undertake my project, since poetry is deeply ingrained in the culture, and I look forward to learning more about it by working with local scholars and poets.” 

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov. 

Saint Martin’s University is an independent, four-year, coeducational university located on a wooded campus of more than 300 acres in Lacey, Washing­ton. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 14 Benedic­tine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares students for successful lives through its 25 majors and seven graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education, nursing and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes more than 1,100 undergraduate students and 340 graduate students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its Lacey campus, and 350 more students to its extended campuses located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Tacoma Community College. Visit the Saint Martin’s University website at www.stmartin.edu.