ALLIANCE, OH — The University of Mount Union is proud to announce that Dr. Kristine Turko, professor of psychology and director of the Spectrum Education Center, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in Education to Slovenia for the 2025-26 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Turko, a member of the Mount Union faculty since 2006, will work with students from the Special Education and Rehabilitation master's program at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, led by Dr. Marta Macedoni Luksic, director of the Institute for Autism Ljubliana. The project introduces hands-on training grounded in evidence-based practices, particularly Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), tailored for Slovenia, where autism education standards are yet to be fully implemented. This initiative seeks to address the growing need for autism education and support, aligning with international mandates on inclusive education. 

Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad. 

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 operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Learn more about Mount Union’s dynamic psychology program and its leading Spectrum Education Center, respectively, at mountunion.edu/psychology and mountunion.edu/spectrum-education-center. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit fulbrightprogram.org.