Franklin University Assistant Dean Selected as a Fulbright Specialist Roster Candidate

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

Franklin University, one of the leading educators of working adults, is proud to announce that Dr. Kelly Renner, Assistant Dean, Curriculum, and Program Chair, Psychology & Social Sciences, has been selected for the Fulbright Specialist Program Roster. The program, coordinated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), provides grant opportunities to Fulbright Specialists. 

Fulbright Specialists are consultants with expertise in their academic discipline, who collaborate on projects in diverse settings of higher education in a wide range of eligible disciplines and fields. The program promotes relationships between U.S. scholars and professionals and their counterparts at host institutions overseas.  The specialist program awards grants for short-term collaborative projects at institutions in over 140 countries.  Specialists may be requested to provide academic services, such as short-term lecturing, conducting seminars, teacher training, assessments and evaluations, special conferences or workshops, as well as collaborating on faculty development and curriculum or institutional planning.

Kelly B. Renner, Ph.D., LPC is the Assistant Dean, Curriculum and Program Chair of Psychology and Social Sciences at Franklin University. During her tenure at Franklin University, Dr. Renner has held a variety of positions including the Assistant Director and then the Director of the Student Learning Center, as well as Lead Faculty. She has enjoyed teaching at Franklin University since 2012 and was a 2014 Teaching Excellence Award recipient, as well as the 2019 Inaugural Faculty Fellow. Prior to working full-time at Franklin University, Dr. Renner spent four years working in community mental health as a clinician. Her caseload included clients at various stages of the life span battling addictions, depression, anxiety, and personality disorders, as well as coping with all forms of abuse. Dr. Renner's research interests, speaking engagements, professional presentations, and publications are on the topics of burnout, motivation, and team building. She resides in Westerville, Ohio with her husband, Blake, and their son, Declan.

“I am honored to be selected for the Fulbright Specialist Roster. As a leader in higher education, I look forward to collaborating with international institutions to develop mental health programming and experiential learning opportunities that foster student success.” 

Her research and publication efforts address a number of topics including “A qualitative examination of sport retirement in former NCAA Division I athletes,” “Forming an Intellectual Community of Practice for Scholarly Writing at a Professionally Focused University,” and “Controlling coaching behaviors and athlete burnout: Investigating the mediating roles of perfectionism and motivation.” (For a full list of Dr. Renner’s numerous publications, visit: https://www.franklin.edu/about-us/faculty-staff/faculty-profiles/renner…)

Dr. Renner earned a doctor of philosophy in Educational Psychology/Sports Psychology from Florida State University, a master of arts in Counseling from West Virginia University, and a bachelor of arts in Psychology from Miami University.

To be considered for the Fulbright Specialist Program, the U.S. scholar must possess advanced academic expertise beyond teaching and research. U.S. faculty and professionals’ applications are reviewed by peers in their discipline and by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB), who then make their recommendation.

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by then-Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsor the Fulbright Program. The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually. Roughly 1,600 U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars, and 900 visiting scholars receive awards, in addition to several hundred teachers and professionals. Currently, the Fulbright Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).