NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

7/1/2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES-Northwestern State University Professor of Management Dr. Subhash Durlabhji has been selected as a Fulbright Scholar for the 2002 ­ 2003 academic year.

Durlabhji was selected for the award in Mauritius, an island located in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius was under Dutch, French and British control until it gained independence in 1968. A member state of the British Commonwealth, Mauritius has a population of more than 1.1 million, the majority of which live in the capital, Port Louis.

During the upcoming academic year, Durlabhji will teach international business, human resource management and e-commerce management at the University of Mauritius.

"The Fulbright Program is very competitive with scholars from thoughout the country competing," said Durlabhji. "They review applicants very carefully, so it is gratifying to be among those selected."

Durlabhji has been a member of Northwestern's faculty since 1987. A highly regarded international scholar, he has also taught at Western Michigan University, the International University of Japan, the Rochester Institute of Technology, the Institute for Rural Management in Anand, India and the Xavier Labor Relations Institute in Jamshedpur, India.

Northwestern has honored Durlabhji with the Mildred Hart Bailey Research Award in 1992 and 1999. He is the only faculty member to win the award twice.

"I will be exposed to a small island developing country and will get to learn about its economy, trade and business climate which will be different than what I have seen before," said Durlabhji. "This will give me a different perspective on my work. That knowledge I gain will come back with me to the classroom at Northwestern."

According to Durlabhji. Mauritius is like "a tropical paradise."

"Sixty percent of the population is of Indian origin, so it will seem like home to me," said Durlabhji, who is a native of India. "There are also French, English and African influences."

Durlabhji has also asked India's leading expert on human resource management to lecture to his classes in Mauritius.

While in Mauritius, Durlabhji will conduct research on the cultural consequences of globalization.

"Globalization is a very controversial topic. Globalization has a number of advantages and disadvantages," said Durlabhji. "Those who oppose it do so for various reasons including the environment, labor issues and imposition of Western values on a country."

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The Fulbright Program is administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. The Fulbright Program operates in 140 countries worldwide

Durlabhji is the second NSU faculty member to receive a Fulbright in recent months. Assistant Professor of English Julie Kane received a Fulbright Lectureship in Linguistics/Creative Writing. She spent the spring 2002 semester in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Durlabhji thanked Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Thomas A. Burns and the NSU administration for their assistance in allowing him to serve as a Fulbright Scholar.

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