CANTON -- St. Lawrence University will host a Fulbright Scholar in Residence from Sri Lanka and a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Chinese language for next academic year.

The Fulbright Scholar in Residence Program brings visiting scholars from abroad to lecture at U.S. colleges and universities for one semester or one academic year.

Harinda Vidanage, a political scientist from Sri Lanka who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, will be St. Lawrence's Scholar in Residence. The director of the Badaranaike Centre for International Studies in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Vidanage has expertise in South Asian politics. He will teach one course each semester, enhancing the University's offerings in government and Asian studies. Vidanage will also be available to faculty in a variety of departments and programs as a resource for course and research enrichment on issues including gender and identity politics; cyberterrorism; and information politics in South Asia. In addition, he will participate in a reading seminar for up to 15 faculty members from St. Lawrence, Clarkson, SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam, and he will give a number of public presentations.

Lei Tang, of Nankei University in China, will be the university's Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, enhancing Chinese language instruction. Tang will work with Zhenjun Zhang, assistant professor of modern languages and Asian studies, and Anne Csete, associate professor of history and Asian studies, who both currently teach Chinese language at St. Lawrence. Expanding opportunities for undergraduates studying Chinese, she will teach language labs; serve as a language tutor and resource for other tutors; and serve as co-instructor for intermediate Chinese language courses. Tang will also help to develop teaching materials and an informational brochure about Chinese instruction and the modern languages and literatures department. She holds a master's degree in English language and literature and teaches English at Nankei University.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." It is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State.

The Fulbright Program has provided almost 300,000 participants - chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential - with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.