Ball State Professor Emeritus Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Teach in Slovenia

Topics: Awards, College of Communication Information and Media, Faculty

September 17, 2024

Dr. Dom Caristi, professor emeritus of media at Ball State University, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award in Media and Journalism to teach in Slovenia during the 2024-25 academic year.

Dr. Caristi will share his expertise with students during the Spring semester in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana, one of Slovenia's oldest and largest higher education institutions.

"Part of the idea of an exchange is that, yes, I'm going to teach-but I'm also going to come back with an expanded view of the world and share that with others," said Dr. Caristi, who retired from Ball State in 2022 after 24 years of service as a faculty member in the University's College of Communication, Information, and Media.

Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals who teach or conduct 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 future partnerships between institutions.

Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, Fulbright Scholars share stories of their experiences. They often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.

Dr. Caristi was a Fulbright Professor in Slovenia in 1995 and in Greece in 2009, and served as a Fulbright Ambassador for six years. He was also a visiting professor in Italy with the Kentucky Institute for International Studies and AHA-International.

While at Ball State, Dr. Caristi received the Outstanding Faculty Member Award (2012) and the Outstanding Faculty Service Award (2020). He previously taught at Saint Mary's of Minnesota, Iowa State University, and Missouri Southern, where he also managed the university's low-power television station.

Dr. Caristi earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Miami (Communications), his master's degree from the University of Central Missouri (Mass Communication), and his doctorate from the University of Iowa (Journalism & Mass Communication).