Department News
Eight Macalester graduates receive 2025 Fulbright awards including Philosophy Major Adley Schwartz ’25

Recent Macalester graduates Audrey Hartmann 鈥25, Cecilia (Ceil) Maus-Conn 鈥24, Adrian Riesgo 鈥25, Simon (Adley) Schwartz 鈥25, Grace McDonough 鈥24, and William Chapman-Renaud 鈥25 have received Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards for the 2025-2026 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. In addition, Ryan Connor 鈥25 and Anna Jensen 鈥25 received USTA-Fulbright awards.
As Fulbright participants, all recipients will study, conduct research, and teach abroad for the 2025-2026 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program or related Fulbright partnerships abroad. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected in an open, merit-based competition that considers leadership potential, academic and/or professional achievement, and record of service. As Fulbright alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed alumni, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 62 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 42 who have served as a head of state or government.
Five students received awards for English Teaching Assistantships:
- Audrey Hartmann 鈥25 will teach English in Spain
- Cecilia (Ceil) Maus-Conn 鈥24 will teach English in Taiwan
- Adrian Riesgo 鈥25 will teach English in South Korea
- Simon (Adley) Schwartz 鈥25 will teach English in Guatemala
- William Chapman-Renaud 鈥25 will teach English in Germany
One student received a Study/Research grant:
- Grace McDonough 鈥24 will conduct research in Ireland
Two students received USTA-Fulbright awards:
- Ryan Connor 鈥25 and Anna Jensen 鈥25 will teach English in Austria.
Additionally, a record 18 out of 29 applicants from Macalester were named semifinalists.
鈥淭hese eight students carry on a proud tradition at Macalester, which is a top-producer of Fulbright recipients,鈥 said President Suzanne Rivera. 鈥淲e wish them well as they take advantage of this invaluable opportunity to experience the world and build bridges across cultures.鈥
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright program is an annual appropriation by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at Macalester through Dr. Brigetta (Britt) Abel, Director of Writing and the MAX Center.
Ethics Bowl team wins 2025 national championship

Macalester鈥檚 Ethics Bowl team defeated Stanford University to win the 2025 National Ethics Bowl Championship in the APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (APPE IEB) on February 23 in Norfolk, Virginia.
It is the team鈥檚 second national title in three years. Sihaam Barre 鈥28, Madeleine Heafey 鈥28, Philosophy Major Colette Lawler 鈥27, Vin Leang 鈥27, R奴ta Rupeikyte 鈥27, and Eva Sturm 鈥26 make up the team, which is led by Coach Casey Moerer 鈥23.
鈥淢acalester鈥檚 victory is a testament to the passion and dedication of these students. Not only did they work countless hours researching and deliberating on these cases, but they came to every practice and every round of the tournament truly loving this activity. It鈥檚 an honor for Macalester to win a National Championship, and an honor to have so much fun doing it,鈥 said Moerer.
Infinite connections
Nicole Higgins 鈥23 (St. Paul) received the Jakob Laub Prize, a cash prize awarded to an advanced Macalester student for an exemplary paper or honors thesis in the philosophy of science, including mathematics. 鈥淚 always like to tie mathematics into my philosophy papers, since that鈥檚 how my brain defaults to understanding the world,鈥 said Higgins, a double major in philosophy and applied math. 鈥淚 was ecstatic to be recognized 鈥 especially for my overlapping interests.鈥

Philosophy Professor Diane Michelfelder published a new book called Test-Driving the Future: Autonomous Vehicles and the Ethics of Technological Change. Political Science Professor Patrick Schmidt wrote one of the chapters with Macalester graduate Jeremy Carp 鈥12.