A Georgetown University senior was recently named a 2001 U.S. Fulbright Scholar and will receive a grant to pursue a self-designed research project for 10 months at several universities throughout France.

Dariush Hale Afshar (MSB ’01), an accounting and finance major and economics minor, will receive full university tuition to study business law at a host institution in Jouy en Josas, France.

Sponsored by the Department of State, the Fulbright Program is recognized as the U.S. government’s leading program in international educational exchange. Proposed to the Congress in 1945 by Senator J. William Fulbright (D-Ark.), the program attempts to allow grantees the opportunity to better understand other institutions, cultures and societies of the world.

Afshar’s research project, which will involve the collaboration of scholars, government officials, politicians and business leaders in the private sector will also allow him to work with a representative from the European Union.

Afshar said the purpose of the research, which he will conduct between October 2001 and June 2002, is to find ways to enhance the atmosphere for telecommunications enterprises in France.

“I want to see how we can enhance the business environment for entrepreneur start-up businesses in France,” Afsher said.

According to Associate Dean of the School of Foreign Service Elizabeth Andretta, anywhere between three and eight undergraduate and graduate students at Georgetown receive the scholarship each year.

“It is much more difficult for an undergraduate [to get this award] because graduate students are competing as well,” she said.

Andretta said that Afshar’s scholarship is exceptionally noteworthy not only because he is an undergraduate senior, but also because scholarships to France are among the most coveted of the 800 granted each year.

Of the over 140 different countries available for research under the program, Andretta said study in France and the United Kingdom is the most selective. The rigid competition stems from a high number of applicants and a few number of spots, she said.

“It’s a long way until the standards all get unified,” he said. His research will hopefully aid in bridging the gap more rapidly, he added.

According to Afshar, presently three global telecommunication standards exist – the European standard, the Japanese standard and United States standard.

In addition to his undergraduate academic career, Afshar has been involved in a number of activities.

As well as studying French for four years and studying abroad in Belgium, Afshar volunteered in the cultural division of the French Embassy his junior year. He conducted research with a professor in the Czech Republic and other Eastern and Central European countries last summer. His investigations included research on principled leadership, corporate governance and ethical decision-making.

Andretta said that the application process is based on more than just extracurricular commitments.

“This is not just a sign of the work that he has completed so far, but also shows that [the committee] is investing in his future graduate studies and his impact on the world,” Andretta said.

“When the committee gives a Fulbright to a graduating senior they’re saying that this person shows tremendous promise of future scholarship,” she added.

Afshar said that although his experience in France will clearly prove to be invaluable, he is enthusiastic about pursuing graduate studies in America. He said that he hopes to return to the United States and obtain an advanced degree in either law or business.