|
"The Fulbright Program aims to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs, and thereby to increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship." – J. William Fulbright
The Fulbright Program
- In 1945, Senator J. William Fulbright introduced a bill in the United States Congress that called for the use of proceeds from the sale of surplus war property to fund the "promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science."
- On August 1, 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the bill into law, and Congress created the Fulbright Program.
- The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) was created by Congress to supervise the Fulbright Program. This 12-member Board, appointed by the President of the United States, works in cooperation with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, binational Fulbright Commissions and Foundations, and Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies abroad, to administer the Program. The FSB sets policies and procedures for administration of the Fulbright Program, has final authority for selection of all grantees, and supervises the conduct of the program both in the United States and abroad. Click here for a list of current FSB members.
- The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation from Congress to the United States Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions in foreign countries, and in the United States, also contribute financially through cost-sharing and indirect support, e.g., through salary supplements, tuition waivers, and university housing.
- Since the establishment of the Program, more than 44,000 students from the United States and 147,000 students from 144 countries have benefited from the Fulbright experience.
- The Fulbright Program has provided more than 250,000 participants, chosen for their leadership potential, with the opportunity to observe each others' political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas, and embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world's inhabitants.
- From its inception, the Fulbright Program has fostered bilateral relationships in which other countries and governments work with the United States to set joint priorities and shape the Program to meet shared needs. The world has been transformed in ensuing decades, but the fundamental principle of international partnership remains at the core of the Fulbright mission.
|
|
| President John F. Kennedy |
 |
| Signing the Mutual Educational and Cultural Excha... |
| President Harry S. Truman |
|
| Signing the Fulbright Act into law, August 1, 1946... |
|
