POTSDAM -- Clarkson University Associate Professor of History Laura Ettinger has been named a Fulbright Scholar to the Department of English Studies at the University of Rijeka in Croatia for the spring 2012 semester.

She will be teaching American gender history.

The Fulbright fits well with Ettinger's academic interests, as her research and writings focus on the history of women, gender, and the medical, scientific, and technological professions in the United States.

"My studies reflect my professional and political concerns about gender issues, the state of American health care, women's health, and women in technology and science today," says Ettinger. "I am excited to immerse myself in Croatian culture and in particular to learn about women's issues and gender relations following the break-up of Yugoslavia and the end of socialism."

Ettinger will be accompanied to Croatia by her husband, Jondavid DeLong, associate professor of legal studies at SUNY Canton, and their daughters, Alison and Caroline.

The Fulbright Program, the U.S. Government's flagship international exchange program, is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries. It promotes leadership development through learning and international cooperation.

The Fulbright Program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide and has provided approximately 300,000 participants -- chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential -- with the opportunity to study, teach or conduct research in each others' countries and exchange ideas. Approximately 7,500 grants are awarded annually.

The program was established by Congress in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. It is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, which works with private non-profit organizations in the United States and with U.S. embassies and binational Fulbright Commissions abroad to administer the Program. Policy guidelines are established by the Presidentially-appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, which also selects the recipients of Fulbright awards.