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Fulbright Program Worldwide
Promoting dialogues across cultures... "International educational exchange is the most significant current project designed to continue the process of humanizing mankind to the point we would hope that men can learn to live in peace - eventually even to cooperate in constructive activities rather than compete in a mindless contest of mutual destruction....
We must try to expand the boundaries of human wisdom, empathy and perception, and there is no way of doing so except through education." ..........J. William Fulbright, 1976
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under the legislation introduced by then Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The exchange program was initiated to reach out to scholars and students to develop their personal and professional potential in the present socio-cultural scenario. The Fulbright program aims to promote dialogues on issues of contemporary interest, transcending geographical boundaries. It has been successful in fostering mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through international educational and training programs.
The Fulbright Program in Brief The flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, widely known as the Fulbright Program, is designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." With this goal as a starting point, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 273,000 participants-chosen for their leadership potential-with the opportunity to observe each others' political, economic, educational and cultural institutions, to exchange ideas and to embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world. Program History The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by then Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. Currently, the Fulbright Program operates in over 150 countries worldwide. Program Funding The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the United States Congress to the 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, such as salary supplements, tuition waivers and university housing. The Congressional appropriation for the Fulbright Program in fiscal year 2005 was $155.3 million. Foreign governments, through binational commissions or foundations abroad, contributed an additional $42.6 million directly to the Program. Program Administration The Fulbright Program is administered the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State under policy guidelines established by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) and in cooperation with a number of private organizations. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is responsible for the U.S. government's overseas educational, cultural and informational programs. The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, composed of 12 educational and public leaders appointed by the President of the United States, formulates policies for the administration of the Program, establishes criteria for the selection of candidates and approves candidates nominated for awards. Binational commissions and foundations abroad propose the annual country programs, which establish the numbers and categories of grants based on input from local institutions. In a country without a commission or foundation, the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy develops and supervises the Fulbright Program. Currently, 50 commissions are active, 45 of which are funded jointly by the United States and the respective government. Each commission or foundation has a board, which is composed of an equal number of Americans and citizens of the participating nation. Program in India The bilateral agreement on education exchange, signed by Prime Minster Jawaharlal Nehru and U.S. Ambassador Loy Henderson on February 2, 1950 in New Delhi, established the United States Educational Foundation in India. USEFI offices are located in four metropolitan cities New Delhi (Headquarters), Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai to provide administrative and academic support. USEFI activities may be broadly categorized as follows:
Approximately 14,800 "Fulbrighters," 9,800 from the United States and 5,000 from India, have participated in the Program since its inception fifty eight years ago. Out of these 6,700 U.S. Fulbrighters were funded by the programs under the U.S. Department of Education. With the support of Government of India funding beginning July 2008, the fellowship numbers will increase by more than 100 per year. Fulbright Grant Categories in India
For further information on the worldwide program, you can visit:
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