[476] MTSU Linguistics Professor Receives Fulbright Scholarship, prepares for year in Morocco

May 25, 2011
Contact: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MTSU linguistics professor receives Fulbright Scholarship, prepares for year in Morocco
MURFREESBORO—Dr. Mohammed Albakry, associate professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University, recently received a coveted Fulbright Scholarship and will prepare for a year’s residence in Morocco starting this fall, where he will teach linguistics at the University of Mohammad the Fifth. The university is one of the largest and the first modern university in the nation, he says.
Albakry’s assignment will be for 10 months, comprising the 2011-2012 academic year. While he views this as a wonderful opportunity, he says he anticipates a great deal of preparation in relocating his family for a year. Albakry’s wife, Judy, is an academic adviser in MTSU’s College of Liberal Arts and will also have to arrange for a leave of absence from the university.
“I cannot go by myself for that long,” Albakry says. “You have to start planning early. Do you sell your house or rent? There are a lot of logistics involved, but I am excited about it. It’s an academic adventure, and it will rejuvenate my scholarship. I plan to come back with new ideas.
“In addition to teaching, I will be kind of an ambassador of American scholarship, linking the two countries together, forging partnerships with scholars there, giving lectures in different places,” he adds. “It could certainly result in bringing scholars from there to MTSU.”
Albakry, whose native land is Egypt, said he chose the region of North Africa as a destination and Morocco in particular because he once attended an international conference there and enjoyed the experience.
“It’s a very interesting place—where East meets West,” he said. “ In the interior and countryside you will find places that are more traditional, but the cities are very westernized. For linguists it’s a good location to be in for research and writing because of the diversity of the Moroccan linguistic landscape.”
Egypt and Morocco are about 3,000 miles apart. Albakry points out that while the two countries have some similarities, there are more differences between them due to historical forces and influence. His homeland is more British-oriented, whereas, Morocco was once occupied by the French.
The professor says he wants this experience to become a permanent positive memory for his children. His son, Sami, age 5 ½ , is in kindergarten, and his daughter, Amanda, 3 ½, is in day care.
“It will probably have an impact on them,” he notes. “I see this as a growing experience where they will be exposed to different environments and cultures in this formative stage of their lives.”
Albakry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Alexandria, Egypt, where he also received a Master’s Preparatory Certificate in Theoretical Linguistics. He earned another Master of Arts degree in professional writing at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth, and a Ph.D. degree in applied linguistics from Northern Arizona University.
Albakry came to MTSU in 2005 from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Currently, he is director of graduate admissions in English at MTSU and received the MTSU Foundation Outstanding Teacher Award in 2009-2010.
“I am delighted that Dr. Mohammed Albakry of our English department has won a Fulbright to Morocco,” notes Dr. Mark Byrnes, recently named permanent dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “He joins Dr. Richard Pace from sociology and anthropology, who will be going to Brazil. In addition, Dr. Sean Foley from the history department will extend his current Fulbright in Malaysia through fall 2011.
In addition, MTSU Senior Kim Yarborough was offered a Fulbright for an English teaching assistantship in Spain, and recent graduate Patrick Pratt received a Fulbright to research poverty in Tanzania.
“To have three faculty members and two students on Fulbrights in the same year is outstanding and reflects the excellent quality of our faculty and students,” Byrnes concludes.

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. In September 2011, MTSU will celebrate its 100th year anniversary with special events and activities throughout the year—kicked off by a Blue-Tie Centennial Gala on Friday, Sept. 9.