CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) — This month, Parkland College is welcoming a Fullbright Scholar to campus.

On Wednesday, February 25, Dr. Dr. Muhammad Arif Rahman Hakim met with staff and faculty, including those from Parkland’s Pre-College ESL Dr. Hakimprogram, toured campus, and took part in the humanities class, “Cultural Values in the Eastern World,” among other agenda items.

“The Fulbright committee asked me to reach out to more universities and colleges to experience while in the U.S. and suggested Parkland College,” Dr. Hakim said. “My objective is to learn the curriculum and different teaching methods and approaches while meeting with students and faculty. I’m looking forward to collaboration opportunities between my university in Indonesia and Parkland College.”

Hakim is currently in residence at Ohio State University as a Fullbright Visiting Scholar, Dr. Hakim is conducting research on the implementation of a U.S. government-sponsored competency enhancement training program for madrasah English-language teachers in Indonesia. He serves as a lecturer in English-language education at Universitas Islam Negeri Fatmawati Sukarno, Bengkulu.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from the aforementioned university, a master’s degree from Universitas Islam Malang, and a PhD from Universiti Sains Malaysia, all in English-language education.

“We were very excited to receive Dr. Hakim’s request to visit Parkland College,” Parkland Humanities Department Chair Brian Nudelman said. “Our time spent with Dr. Hakim was, as expected, interesting and thoughtful. Indeed, not only were faculty from Parkland’s ESL program able to share information about our pedagogies and program structures, but we also learned how English-language instruction is taught within relevant academic programs in Indonesian colleges and universities.”

In the 2024–2025 academic year, Parkland welcomed its first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence in many years, Dr. Youssoupha Mane, who brought West African perspectives to the college’s instruction in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Notable Fulbright Scholars include 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, 41 heads of state or government, and thousands of leaders across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which has operated in over 160 countries worldwide.

More information about the Fulbright program can be found on the Fulbright Program website.