Former Mount Pulaski resident Richard Schroth has been selected as a U.S. Ful-bright Senior Scholar.

The recognition is the most highly prized scholarly award from the U.S. State Department.

Schroth, who holds a Ph.D., is the son of Vivian and Joseph Schroth of Mount Pulaski.

He received his secondary education in Mount Pulaski schools.

"It speaks very highly of the educational system in Mount Pulaski and makes me very proud to have grown up and lived in such a wonderful area," Schroth said in an e-mail to The Courier.

He also expressed his hope that " ... others may see what wonderful opportunities await the youth of the Mount Pulaski area and the opportunities the excellent education of the Mount Pulaski Schools in particular provide as a foundation for greater learning."

Schroth received his Ph.D. from Indiana University, his master's degree from the University of Illinois and a bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University.

Schroth will hold his position as a Fulbright Senior Scholar for the next 5 years, working as one of the U.S.'s top scholarly executives in information sciences accessible to countries around the world.

In 2008, he will begin his first overseas assignment, leading a major technology and public policy strategy effort at The National University of Ireland in Galway.

While in Galway, Schroth will serve as Distinguished Visiting Professor, responsible for shaping and developing the strategic initiatives for the Center for Innovation and Structural Change and the Digital Enterprise Research Institute.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the Fulbright Program, America's flagship international educational exchange activity. Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are competitively selected based on academic or professional achievement.

Among a small group of other prominent Fulbright Senior Scholar alumni are Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize-winning economist; Alan Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet; and Craig Barrett, chairman of the board of Intel Corp.

Schroth will join this handful of other Distinguished Fulbright Senior Scholars in representing the United States' top scholarly academics and professionals.