Former Ombudsman Arlene Brock has been selected for the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, according to US Consul General Bob Settje.

The scholarship will allow Ms Brock to spend a semester at Boston’s Northeastern School of Law, where she will participate in faculty colloquia and write a paper on the appetite and ability of Ombudsmen to undertake complaints about internationally funded programmes in their respective countries.

Ms Brock said yesterday that she was deeply honoured to be given the opportunity and looks forward to working with the University for her report.

“Hopefully, my paper will provide a preliminary template for how national Ombudsmen can assist international institutions and other funders to monitor projects on the ground.”

The Fulbright Programme was first created in 1946 to increase understanding between the US and other nations through academic and cultural exchange. Among the 300,000 alumni are former UN Secretary General Boutrous Boutrous Ghali, Nobel Prize winners Henry Kissinger and Milton Friedman and Pulitzer Prize winners Sylvia Plath and John Updike.

In a statement, Mr Settje said he was “thrilled” by the selection, saying: “To our knowledge the first-ever Fulbright awarded to a Bermudian. During my time in Bermuda, I have developed great respect and admiration for her both as an individual and as a public servant.

“She stands out among her peers as a person who places ethics at the forefront of all she does. She is superbly prepared by both education and experience to become part of the Fulbright family. This is a great day not just for Arlene but for Bermuda, as well.”