RIVER FALLS – Chris Holtkamp, an associate professor of community and environmental planning at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to bring his expertise in sustainable development and regional planning to the Agricultural University of Iceland. 

Holtkamp will travel to Reykjavik, Iceland next January and spend five months working with the planning and design program at the Agricultural University, developing a graduate course focused on sustainable regional development to ensure activities align with the values and priorities of rural communities.

“I'm excited for the opportunity to work with the Agricultural University of Iceland to leverage my experience with practicing and teaching community and environmental planning to build capacity in their planning program,” Holtkamp said. “This is an enormous opportunity to expand my understanding of regional planning and sustainable rural development that will benefit my teaching at UW-River Falls. Additionally, I look forward to establishing this relationship with the Agricultural University that can create new opportunities for collaboration between our schools and open new doors for our students to gain international experience.”

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.

For more information about the community and environmental planning degree program at UWRF, visit uwrf.edu/programs/community-and-environmental-planning. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit fulbrightprogram.org.

Submitted by UW-River Falls