The Best and Brightest

Michigan State University in East Lansing topped the list in Fulbright scholars for 2010-11, with 40. The university has a landscape architecture program within its College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

We're a nation of lists. Here's one for bragging rights.

The Institute of International Education has released a list of U.S. schools (by type of institution) that produced the most Fulbright scholars for 2010-11.

The Fulbright is the largest U.S. international exchange program, offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

The Fulbright is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since its inception in 1946, the program has provided more than 300,000 scholarships.

The two top schools for research institutions were:

The top school among master's institutions:
University of Portland; 5 awards/20 applicants.
Seven other schools in this category had four awards.

The top two schools among bachelor's institutions:
1. Pitzer College; 22 awards/79 applicants.
2. Smith College; 13 awards/27 applicants.

And among specialty institutions:
Rhode Island School of Design was number one; 7 awards/21 applicants. This school has a landscape architecture program within its Architecture + Design division.

Almost 1,700 American students, artists and young professionals in more than 100 different fields of study have Fulbright grants to study beginning this fall. They will teach English and conduct research in over 130 countries. Nineteen percent of these are at the PhD degree level, 17 percent at the master's level, and 65 percent at the bachelor's degree level. Students receiving awards for this academic year applied through 600 colleges or universities.