Elysia Nuttall

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -
Lock Haven University student Elysia Nuttall has received a Freeman Award for Study in Asia (Freeman-Asia Fellowship Award). Nuttall, a junior who is majoring in computer science, leaves for Japan on September 1.

The Freeman-Asia Award, supported by the Freeman Foundation and administered by the Institute for International Studies, is designed to increase the number of U.S. undergraduates who study in East and Southeast Asia by providing financial assistance and information. The purpose is to encourage study abroad in Asia and spread a greater understanding of Asian peoples and cultures in the fellowship recipients' home communities. Since the program began in 2000, Freeman-Asia has subsidized the study-abroad experience of over 3,000 U.S. undergraduates.

Nuttall, who is from Lock Haven, is looking forward to her studies in Japan. "I am looking forward to getting to experience a completely different culture for 11 months," she said. In preparation for her trip, she plans to consult with Madeline Hoff, who has recently returned from Japan. Hoff was also a Lock Haven University Freeman-Asia Fellowship Award recipient.

Advising Nuttall is Dr. Zakir Hossain, LHU professor of sociology and anthropology and Freeman-Asia Fellowship adviser.

Commenting on Nuttall's award, Dr. David White, dean of the College of Arts and Science at LHU, said, "Lock Haven is very pleased for Elysia on her receipt of a Freeman-Asia Fellowship Award for 2008-09. I congratulate Elysia and her professors for the diligence and perseverance the the award recognizes. It is now more important than ever that Americans have considerable knowledge of, and experience in, other parts of the world, and this ward will help Elysia obtain that knowledge and experience. I wish her well on what I am sure will be the experience of a lifetime."