Paul Umbach, a professor of higher education and adult and lifelong education in NC State’s College of Education, has received a Fulbright-Tampere University Scholar Award funded by the Fulbright Finland Foundation for the 2026-27 academic year.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange initiative, designed to advance knowledge and innovation, find solutions to global challenges and promote relations between the United States and other nations. During his time as a Fulbright Scholar, Umbach will be based at Tampere University in Finland.
“Being selected for a Fulbright Scholar award is both an honor and a meaningful opportunity to engage in international collaboration,” Umbach said. “The Fulbright program has a long-standing mission of fostering mutual understanding across countries, and I’m excited to contribute to that through my work. On a personal level, it’s also a chance to build on relationships I’ve developed in Finland over several years and to deepen those collaborations in ways that will strengthen both my research and teaching.”
Umbach’s primary project during his time at Tampere University will focus on university mergers in Finland, examining how such large-scale institutional changes affect faculty, organizational structures and long-term outcomes. Finland, he said, provides a particularly interesting context for qualitative and quantitative analysis in this subject area because the country has seen several major university mergers over the past decade.
In addition to conducting research, Umbach is also looking forward to the opportunity to engage in sustained, in-person collaboration with faculty at Tampere University as well as engaging with graduate students through seminars and discussions.
“Much of academic work happens remotely, so having dedicated time to work closely with colleagues, exchange ideas and develop new projects is incredibly valuable,” he said. “Finland has taken some unique approaches to higher education policy, and being immersed in that context will be both professionally and personally rewarding.”
Following his year abroad, Umbach said he is excited about bringing the insights he gains in Finland back to his work in the College of Education. Experiencing the ways in which different academic systems approach similar educational challenges, he said, will be able to inform his future research and teaching as well as lead to future collaborations, research projects and new opportunities for students at both NC State and in Finland.