UT Tyler to Host International Fulbright Scholar April 3 – 4
March 24, 2025 | Hannah Buchanan
PhD Candidate to Learn More About Special Education Environments
The University of Texas at Tyler School of Education will host international Fulbright scholar Lisa Moehlen, a PhD candidate from the University of Vienna in Austria, during Thursday and Friday, April 3 – 4.
Moehlen will observe a diverse range of PK-12 classrooms within the UT Tyler University Academy – Tyler campus. These observations will include general and special education settings, such as co-taught classrooms, resource rooms, self-contained environments and other specialized spaces designed to support students with disabilities. During her visit, she will also foster collaboration with UT Tyer School of Education faculty. The UA campus will be her second of two stops in Texas.
“This exchange enriches discussions on special education, fostering a deeper, more nuanced understanding of global issues among researchers and students,” said Dr. Pradeep “Max” Dass, UT Tyler College of Education and Psychology dean. “Ms. Moehlen’s visit, therefore, promotes cross-cultural dialogue and broadens the perspectives of faculty and students regarding special education.”
Moehlen is supported by a three-year DOC fellowship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and a six-month Fulbright doctoral scholarship. She will travel across eight states during six months, visiting numerous PK-12 schools and exploring various services provided to youth with disabilities.
She will arrive to Texas from the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany. Alongside these visits, she will share insights on the German and Austrian special education systems with teacher candidates, scholars and community members. Her goal is to gain a deeper understanding of how contextual factors influence special education across different geographic settings in the United States, while also educating others on Germany's and Austria’s approaches to special education.
“We are excited to support Ms. Moehlen in observing Texas schools during her Fulbright stay. The opportunity to learn about German and Austrian educational systems from her is equally appealing,” said UT Tyler professor of special education Dr. Jessica Rueter, who will host Moehlen during her visit.
The prestigious Fulbright program promotes academic excellence through intercultural exchange. For more than 75 years, Fulbright alumni have made an impact in such areas as public service, science and technology, public health, arts, education and the environment. To learn more, visit: fulbrightscholars.org/.
The UT Tyler School of Education is comprised of high-quality faculty, staff and students resulting in strong academic programs, projects and centers in the schools and community, and educators committed to changing the lives of residents in East Texas, the state and nation. For more information, visit uttyler.edu.
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.