Fulbright Program Commemorates 75th Anniversary

The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is proud to celebrate the impact and achievements of the over 400,000 alumni of the Fulbright Program as we commemorate its 75th anniversary.

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Sofyan Essaraoui (center) of Morocco created a Moroccan cultural experience for students, faculty, and staff at Bennett College, North Carolina in 2019 by hosting “Enter Morocco,” where he served authentic Moroccan tea and presented on cultural norms and practices related to meals, dress, and communication. (Photo courtesy of Sofyan Essaraoui)

Signed into law on August 1, 1946, the Act that launched the Fulbright Program was designed to enhance mutual understanding by providing individuals with life-changing people-to-people exchange experiences that bring people and nations closer together.

2015 Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Canada Itty Neuhaus-Schuck photographs an iceberg on the Labrador Sea. Neuhaus-Schuck, the Associate Professor of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz, traveled to Memorial University of Newfoundland as part of the Fulbright Arctic Initiative. (Photo courtesy of the Fulbright Scholar Program)

Led by the U.S. government in partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide, for 75 years Fulbright has offered opportunities to accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds. The Fulbright Program is a longstanding pillar of U.S. public diplomacy – it produces international leaders, strengthens binational relationships, reduces misunderstandings, and forges lasting connections around the world.

Jenné Nurse (left) and Y-Binh Nguyễn (right), two U.S. 2019 Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) at the Boetse Secondary School in South Africa, raised funds with the help of the local business community to build an outdoor library and classroom which functions as a public reading space for their community. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy South Africa/ Public Domain)

In 2021, the Fulbright Program and its partners in the U.S. and around the world are hosting celebratory events. The U.S. Department of State invites you to join us by sharing your Fulbright stories and participating in or hosting activities that celebrate the Fulbright Program’s 75th Anniversary. Please visit www.fulbright75.org for information.

2013-2014 Fulbright U.S. Student to the United Kingdom Emmanuel Johnson studied robotics at the University of Birmingham. He was the first North Carolina A&T State University alumnus to be awarded a Fulbright in the institution's history. — 2013-2014 Fulbright U.S. Student to the United Kingdom Emmanuel Johnson studied robotics at the University of Birmingham. He was the first North Carolina A&T State University alumnus to be awarded a Fulbright in the institution’s history. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Fulbright Program)

For more from the Fulbright Program and how we are celebrating its 75th anniversary, follow us on Twitter @FulbrightPrgm and Facebook here.

Follow the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs on Twitter @ECAatState and Facebook here for the latest updates on international exchange and sports diplomacy programs.

About the Author: Mary Kirk is the Director of the Office of Academic Exchange Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Department of State

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