• Frank Caliva is the second PC student in three years to earn the prestigious honor
• The political science major will research the resurgence of the former Communist party in unified Germany - the result, he says, of a "mental wall" that still exists

Providence, RI -- For the second time in three years, a Providence College senior is the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. Frank Caliva, a political science major from Syracuse, New York, will spend a year of study and research at Frei-Universitat in Berlin. His original research will examine the resurgence of the post-World War II East German Communist Party in contemporary politics, particularly in the German states that formerly comprised East Germany.

A Summa Cum Laude graduate with a minor in German, Caliva was the editor of PC's student newspaper, The Cowl, and served as an Admission Ambassador and president of the Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha.

He has deferred his acceptance to the master's program at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service for a year and plans to pursue graduate studies there upon his return from Germany.

Caliva's research topic integrates his academic studies in political science and German, with his interest in foreign relations and a passion for journalism. He plans to conduct extensive field work and interview members of the Party of Democratic Socialism. "There is a mental 'wall' still there," explains Caliva. "It's largely the result of the economic problems that still remain in the eastern areas." He notes that the emerging political party is attracting support among youth, and not surprisingly, is strongest in Berlin.

Caliva was selected as one of 800 scholars and professionals to participate in the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program. He is following the footsteps of the College's most recent Fulbright Scholar, Anne Egan, who researched the effects of Irish immigration in Germany during a 10-month stay in that country following her graduation in 2001.

The Fulbright grant pays for all expenses related to the research project including travel, fees, and books at the foreign university, as well as a living stipend. Caliva expects to depart for Germany in late August or early September; the German academic year begins in October.

Both Caliva and Egan have credited faculty members Dr. Laurent Gousie and Rev. Leonard P. Hindsley of the College's department of modern languages, with providing the counsel, encouragement, and advice that led to successful applications for the coveted foreign study grants. "The professors here are so accessible," notes Caliva. "I am very grateful for all the assistance I received."

Caliva joins a list of at least ten other Providence College students (now alumni) who have been awarded a Fulbright grant. Established in 1946 by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program is America's flagship international educational exchange program. It is administered by the U.S. Department of State and aims "to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills."

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