Published: Aug. 19, 2016

Andrew Schwartz, associate professor of law at the University of Colorado Law School, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant to New Zealand from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Schwartz will spend the first half of 2017 researching and lecturing at the University of Auckland as part of a project studying securities crowdfunding.

Schwartz, who has authored numerous law review articles on securities crowdfunding, said that New Zealand is the perfect place to continue his research.

“In the United States, our federal crowdfunding law was enacted in 2012 but only went into effect this year because of the need for the SEC to draft rules and regulations for this new type of online securities marketplace,” he said. “In New Zealand, by contrast, they have actually been doing securities crowdfunding since 2014, and millions of dollars have already been raised on licensed Internet platforms there, making the country a worldwide leader in this emerging field.”  As such, he believes the U.S. can learn from New Zealand’s experience over the past few years and plans to share his results with the SEC upon his return.

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

“I feel honored to have been selected for a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award,” Schwartz said.  “I am thankful for the opportunity and hope that my research can advance knowledge in New Zealand, the United States, and beyond.”

Professor Schwartz can be reached at andrew.schwartz@colorado.edu.