Fassil Fanta, Ph.D., a professor of finance and economics at Brenau University in the Jacobs College of Business and Media, has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the upcoming 2026-27 academic year.
Fanta will be hosted by the Department of Economics in the College of Business and Economics at Haramaya University in Haramaya, Ethiopia, where he will teach undergraduate and graduate courses.
“We were excited to learn that Dr. Fassil Fanta has earned a U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award, a prestigious fellowship that offers scholars transformative opportunities to teach and conduct research abroad,” Brenau President David L. Barnett said. “Dr. Fanta gains opportunities for professional development and to foster long‑term connections that raise the profile of Brenau while enriching his career, our campuses and our communities. This is a wonderful outcome for the Jacobs College of Business and Media.”
Fulbright U.S. Scholars are accomplished faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals who teach or conduct research in partnership with institutions around the world. Through these affiliations, they expand their professional networks and often seed future research, innovation, and institutional partnerships.
After a rigorous selection process and more than six months of waiting, Fanta said he was a little apprehensive when he received the email that would be a career-changing moment.
“When I got the email from the Fulbright Scholars regarding the final decision, I was really nervous to see what the result was going to be,” Fanta said. “So, I collected myself and tried to calm down to just be ready to see the final decision. And when I looked at it, I was really shocked. I was, like, man, this is happening. You know, it’s really becoming a reality.”
Fanta was born and raised near the host university, where he also worked as a lecturer before coming to the United States. His fellowship will have three components: teaching, faculty capacity-building and collaborative research.
“The teaching responsibilities directly extend and deepen my work at Brenau, including the curriculum redesign, program assessment and teaching innovation that earned me the Masters in Teaching Award in 2025,” Fanta said. “Beyond the classroom, I will lead four faculty development workshops on curriculum alignment, skill mapping, assessment design, and student-centered pedagogy, which closely mirrors the faculty development and quality enhancement work I have undertaken at Brenau.”
His research focuses on the “Impact of Financial Liberalization on Ethiopia’s Economy,” a timely topic given Ethiopia’s recent opening of its financial sector and the establishment of a capital market.
“Using time-series analysis and data from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the National Bank of Ethiopia, I will examine how financial reform indicators affect growth, inflation, and exchange rates,” Fanta said. “Ethiopian undergraduate and graduate students will participate as active research collaborators, which is an experiential model I also use at Brenau. The research is expected to produce a manuscript suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal and will enrich my comparative finance and economics courses upon return.”
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 as a bold investment in global peace and
American prosperity through educational and cultural exchange. Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, funded by the U.S. Government. In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.
