Dr. Cavallini Selected To Fulbright Peer Review Committee

Limestone College Professor of Physical Education Dr. Felicia Cavallini has again been selected to serve on the 2017-2018 Fulbright U.S. Regional Peer Review Committee for Canada.

Dr. Cavallini is one of only four committee members to serve on the committee that will represent the entire United States. The group will peer review the Fulbright applications from the United States before sending them to Canada.

Other committee members include Dr. Michael Brescia, Professor of History at the University of Arizona; Dr. Robert Barsky, Professor and Chair of French and Italian at Vanderbilt University; and Dr. Polly Newcomb, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington.

“Through the support of Limestone College, I feel fortunate to have experienced a year in Canada on a Fulbright,” Dr. Cavallini said. “Having Limestone’s name represented nationally by being one of the four institutions represented on this selection team certainly brings added publicity to our wonderful small college.”

The committee will meet on Friday, Oct. 28, in Washington, DC, to discuss approximately 70 Fulbright applications the members are now reviewing.

Dr. Cavallini completed an 11-month Fulbright Scholar Student/Research Grant in Canada. From Aug. 30, 2014, through Aug. 1, 2015, she served at the University of Guelph as a Visiting Research Chair in the Human Health and Nutritional Sciences Department, and her primary focus was on physical activity and exercise.

She was also a member of same Peer Review Committee last year.

The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually. Roughly 1,600 U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars, and 900 visiting scholars receive awards, in addition to several hundred teachers and professionals. Approximately 310,000 scholars have participated in the program since its inception in 1946.

The peer review process, a hallmark of the Fulbright Scholar program, ensures that applicants will be evaluated on academic, scholarly and professional criteria.  The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) is responsible for coordinating the initial screening of Fulbright Scholar applications, known as peer review, for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

There are two rounds of peer review administered by CIES. Applications are first received by Discipline Committees, made up of two to three members, chosen for their knowledge and expertise within a specified area of study or discipline. Following Discipline Peer Review, each application is then sent to a panel made up of four to five Regional Peer Reviewers who have significant professional experience in the specific world region of the application. Each Regional Peer Review committee will then make recommendations based on their own review, along with the comments of the Discipline committees.

A 1984 graduate of Rice University, Dr. Cavallini received a B.A. in Education and Kinesiology with a concentration in Coaching/Teaching from the Department of Human Performance and Health Sciences while earning academic honors. A dual sport athlete at Rice, she played both volleyball and basketball. While earning a M.A. from the University of Texas at San Antonio in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Cavallini was an assistant coach of the women’s basketball team at UTSA. In the seven years to follow, she coached women’s basketball at Siena College, Providence College, University of Southern Indiana and Colgate University. In addition, she taught and coached in secondary education in the state of Texas.

Pursuing a doctoral degree, Dr. Cavallini served on the faculty of Kinesiology at Rice University for seven years while also serving as a resident associate with students. While on faculty at Rice, Dr. Cavallini directed the University Wellness Program. She was honored numerous times as a “Distinguished Faculty Member” at Rice and was voted by students as the faculty member who made a significant impact in the Rice community.