Fulbright in the world

The United States Congress created the Fulbright Program in 1946 to promote mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges.

When Senator J. William Fulbright sponsored the legislation to create this program, he was facing a world devastated by war and was convinced that the best and perhaps the only way to lay the foundations of a lasting peace would be to encourage large numbers of people to live and study in other countries so that they would get to know each other and learn to respect each other's institutions, values and cultures. In half a century, the Fulbright Program has become the world's largest, best-known and most prestigious educational exchange program. Today, 140 countries participate in the program and over 250,000 students, teachers, researchers, artists and professionals have benefited from the "Fulbright experience." Fulbright alumni include Nobel Prize winners, government officials, scientists and leaders from all over the world.

The primary source of funding for the program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress. 2009, the U.S. Government contributed US$ 230,000,000 to fund the Fulbright Program worldwide. In addition, participating governments, private organizations and host institutions in many countries and in the U.S. contribute financially through cost-sharing and other forms of support. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of State under policy guidelines established by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. This Board is composed of twelve members drawn from academic, cultural and public life who are appointed by the President of the United States. Overseas, the Fulbright program is administered by bi-national Commissions established by executive agreements between the U.S. government and the host countries. In non-commission countries the Fulbright Program is administered by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassies.

Fulbright in Argentina

Description

The Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States and Argentina (Fulbright Commission) is an independent, non-profit, bi-national organization created in 1956 by the signature of an agreement between the two governments to administer the Fulbright grants. Its mission is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Argentina through the sharing of ideas, knowledge, skills and individual experiences.

Since its creation, the Commission has awarded over 5500 grants to Argentine and U.S. citizens. These grants have enabled the recipients to study, teach and conduct research in the United States as well as in Argentina. Argentine and U.S. Fulbright alumni have made major teaching, research and professional contributions in a variety of disciplines from science and humanities to business and diplomacy.

Authorities

The Commission in Argentina is managed by a Board of Directors composed of ten members, five U.S. citizens and five Argentine citizens. The U.S. Ambassador and Honorary Chair of the Commission, is responsible for appointing the Board Members, who are selected on the basis of personal and professional background. Usually, Board Members represent academia, business, diplomatic and professional fields. The Board supervises and administers the development of the Fulbright program in Argentina.

Principles

Program awards are based on principles of open competition and individual merit. Grantees are selected on the basis of academic excellence, professional qualifications and leadership potential in a wide range of disciplines. The Fulbright Program goes beyond training individuals in specific fields of knowledge; becoming a Fulbrighter means an individual, in whatever role he/she performs, is expected to contribute to promote mutual understanding between the US and Argentina.

In addition to its grant program, the Commission provides educational advisory services for people interested in studying in the U.S. Our library has a vast collection of university catalogs, data bases and reference books.

From 1956 to 1993, the U.S. government funded the totality of the program. Since then, the Argentine Ministry of Education and several other Argentine private and public institutions have shared the costs of the program through donations and cost-shared agreements. These local contributions have enabled the Commission to triple the number of grants offered. 210 grants were awarded in 2009: 144 to Argentine citizens and 66 to American citizens.