An Eastern Kentucky University education professor has been selected for the second time to participate in the Fulbright-Hays Study Abroad Seminar.

Dr. Samuel Hinton, who traveled to Brazil as part of the prestigious program in 1993, will spend four weeks this summer in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

While there, Hinton will study the educational systems of the two countries and their "relevance to national cohesion.

"I am interested in finding out how education has contributed to national development … and what is unique about Czech and Slovak unity in diversity," said Hinton, who has taught in EKU's Department of Curriculum and Instruction since 1990. "The experience of these republics with their racial homogeneity and ethnic diversity, and their celebration of cultural diversity, present a unique opportunity for me to better relate this concept to my EKU students. I am particularly interested in studying how the schools and institutions of higher education in both countries deliver curricular content related to diversity to their students."

Hinton said his study and research will prove particularly helpful in the School and Society course he has taught the past 12 years. He plans to develop a unit on "Education, Diversity and Nation Building in the Czech and Slovak Republics" for that course and for a Foundations of Multicultural Education course.

"Globalization, Internet connectivity and mass culture have all impacted on education and society around the world," Hinton said. "There is a need for educators to be facilitators of international goodwill and understanding. I believe that my experience in the Fulbright-Hays program is an investment for the future. The knowledge and experiences I gain from the seminar will be transmitted to students of a different generation, who will in turn become teachers and educators of the future."

Hinton earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Durham in England, master's degrees from the University of Virginia and Kent State University, and doctoral degrees from the University of Virginia and Andersonville Theological Seminary.

He has served as president of the EKU branch of the American Association of University Professors and as a board member of the Madison County Literacy Council.