Professors Jill Shafer (left) and Richard Shafer (right) plan to travel to Rwanda on Fulbright scholarships. Photo by Nicholas Nelson/The Dakota Student.

A UND faculty couple has recently been offered an experience of a lifetime.

Earlier this month, Jill and Richard Shafer were both announced recipients of separate Fulbright scholarships. Beginning in the fall semester, the couple will spend a year abroad in the Republic of Rwanda, teaching their disciplines to students and teachers alike.

Richard has been at UND for almost 20 years as a professor of journalism, and Jill  works in the Department of Teaching and Learning providing multicultural education and teaching English as a second language.

Jill and Richard will be taking off for Rwanda in September, shortly after seeing their youngest son off to his first year of college. They expect to be there until June 2016. This is Jill’s first Fulbright scholarship. Richard has completed Fulbright scholarships in the Philippines, Uzbekistan and Singapore.

The Fulbright Scholar Program offers a wide range of opportunities for students, faculty and professionals of almost any discipline to travel to places all over the world to learn, teach and conduct research.

The process of obtaining a Fulbright scholarship is a lengthy one. The Shafers applied in August of 2014 and received their acceptance earlier this month.

A Fulbright applicant is responsible for answering a series of in-depth questions regarding credentials, and provide letters of recommendation.

As current university faculty members, the Shafers were asked to include past course syllabi that would be applicable to their time in Rwanda, putting together proposals of what they would be able to contribute to the program of their choice. Arrangements are made with the university in advance of their potential leave. Jill said she and her husband were very lucky, and that the university was very supportive and generous in working with them.

In addition to information about themselves and their goals, applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the country they are hoping to travel to and the needs of that country in terms of their discipline.

For the Shafers, Rwanda was the top of three country choices, followed by Bulgaria and Lithuania. Their narrowed list was determined by the availability of positions in both of their disciplines, and their interest in Africa made Rwanda the clear frontrunner.

Jill visited Ethiopia last January, which sparked an intrigue in exploring African nations in different stages of development.

“Rwanda seems to be really focused on stabilization, peace and prosperity,” Richard said, referring to the country as the “Silicon Valley” of Africa — being a country that is currently in a process of reconstruction.

The Republic of Rwanda is one of the most densely populated African countries, with more than 12 million people residing in a geographically small area.

From 1990-94, Rwanda was in a civil war. The end of the war is commonly known as the Rwandan Genocide — a three-month mass slaughter of individuals belonging to two of Rwanda’s three main ethnic groups.

Following the war, the nation called for reform, and became a member of the East African Community (EAC), an intergovernmental organization made up of five African countries.

A condition of the shift to the EAC was the implementation of English as an official language.

Jill will be a part of this shift by teaching English to teachers during her time in Rwanda, because only a small percentage of Rwandans are able to speak the language. She is hoping to learn from her students as well.

“Some of it is healing and some of it is political,” Jill said. “They probably have a message of healing that is good to bring back to the U.S. and other countries.”

As for Richard, he hopes to also go beyond the classroom by working with and learning from local journalists. As a professor of journalism, he is especially interested in what role journalists have in other parts of the world. During a past Fulbright to Uzbekistan, he spent memorable time working with a group of teenagers who were producing their own newspaper.

“That’s sort of my method,” Richard said. “Going around the world interviewing journalists about whether they see themselves as agents of change or keeping things as they are.” He adds that “journalists talk” and are always eager to share their experiences.

In terms of living in an entirely new environment, the Shafers are eager to immerse themselves in the culture.

“It’ll be very interesting to see what Rwanda is going to feel like,” Jill said. “You can read about it, but you really don’t know until you’re there.”

Jill’s research on the country and its past has especially intrigued her. She is interested in the nation’s emotional state and the relationships between the ethnic groups who were once at war.

“I’m hoping to get insight into that human nature of being able to recover and move on and build this country together again,” Jill Shafer said.

Since Richard has spent much of his life traveling, he has ceased having expectations.

“When the airplane door opens, you go down the stairs, and everything happens to you,” he said. “You’ll either function or get right back on the plane.”

Richard notes doing the job will be the easy part and is no different wherever you are. The adventure for both of them will be in the new environment and cultural differences.

“I think it’s really important for all of us to know what it’s like to be a minority,” Jill said. “Many of the minorities here never have a chance to change that. It’s a really refreshing experience to have. If you’re curious in a positive way, you get what you put out.”

The preparation that will go into the trip in the coming months will involve a lot of packing, sorting out the transfer of mail and bills and getting immunizations. What will be done with the Shafer residence is currently up in the air, the couple are discussing options of selling, renting or as Richard jokingly suggests, “We’ll burn it down.”

Serianna Henkel is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].