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Featured 75th Anniversary News & Events
Keep up throughout 2021 as we celebrate 75 years of the Fulbright Program’s impact, history and alumni. Browse recaps of past events, as well as other articles here.
Impact
Actions, Insights, and Opportunities
Since its inception in 1946, over 400,000 people from all backgrounds—recent graduates, teachers, scientists and researchers, artists, and more—have participated in the Fulbright Program to help them better understand and advance ideas in the world we share.
What impact will you make?
Real experiences empower Fulbrighters to solve complex issues in a changing world.
“My [first] Fulbright experience in Turkey attuned me to the strengths and needs of English language teachers in Central Asia.”
Accomplished Fulbrighters work together to make a difference in communities at home and abroad.
The Fulbright Program creates enduring connections and lasting impact.
“Fulbright afforded me the opportunity to expand my world view beyond what I thought an engineer could be. “
The Fulbright community is made up of thousands serving as leaders across the globe. (Durdona on left)
“Fulbright truly showed me the world and who I am in this world by showing me other people and their experiences and backgrounds.”
History
Connecting a Complex and Changing World
In 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, President Harry S. Truman signed legislation into law to establish the Fulbright Program, an international academic exchange program with an ambitious goal—to increase mutual understanding, and support friendly and peaceful relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
The Fulbright Program now operates in 160 countries and has provided over 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and in all fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to complex global challenges. This timeline represents some of the significant milestones in the Fulbright Program’s history. Check back to see more entries, which will be posted throughout 2021.
John Hope Franklin Begins Fulbright Journey
Franklin, a Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, author, historian and Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Chair, went on his first Fulbright to the U.K. in 1954.
Passage of Fulbright-Hays Act
President John F. Kennedy signed the Fulbright-Hays Act, re-authorizing the Fulbright Program. The Act also enabled foreign governments to contribute funding to Fulbright programming.
Future Nobel Laureate Starts Fulbright
Muhammad Yunus arrived in the U.S. from Bangladesh to study economics. The professor, social entrepreneur, and founder of Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize (2006) for microlending to reduce poverty.
Fulbright 40th Anniversary
Distinguished Lecturer Grants Program created to celebrate Fulbright’s anniversary. Recipients include luminaries such as poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, who traveled on her Fulbright to Ghana in 1986.
Fulbright Association Launches Prize
The Fulbright Association, the U.S. Fulbright alumni group, awarded its first Fulbright Prize for International Understanding to Nelson Mandela for his work fighting apartheid in South Africa.
Fulbright Alumni Serve in Congress
Fulbright alumni have long served in the U.S. Congress. The 110th U.S. Congress convened on January 4, 2007, with four Fulbright alumni serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Classroom Diplomacy
Teacher Exchanges expand program offerings for primary and secondary teachers in the U.S. and 70 countries; nearly 11,000 teacher alumni have brought global perspectives to classrooms around the world.
6 Fulbright Alumni Lead Their Countries
Served or were elected: Colville Norbert Young (Belize), Ashraf Ghani (Afghanistan), Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (Croatia), David Granger (Guyana), Alexander de Croo (Belgium), Francisco Sagasti (Peru)
When a Fulbrighter comes back… they can share the experiences they’ve had and create a world that has more empathy and understanding for people that are different from ourselves.
U.S. to Kiribati, 2017
Alumni
Fulbright Alumni: Lasting Legacies
Each month of the 75th Anniversary year will feature notable Fulbrighters who have made an impact on the world. Read their stories here.
Muhammad Yunus
Nobel Peace Prize-Winning Economist
Foreign Student from Bangladesh, 1965
Known as the “Banker to the Poor,” Dr. Yunus is a pioneer in the field of "microcredit."
Read His Story
Jennifer Lee
Sociologist and Professor of Social Sciences at Columbia University
U.S. Scholar to Japan, 2008
[My Fulbright experience] made me a stronger researcher, keener teacher, and a more committed mentor and leader.
Read Her Story
William Tan
Neuroscientist, Physician, and Paralympian
Foreign Student from Singapore, 1989
Living life to the fullest means not only chasing my own personal dreams but living a life to benefit others.
Read His Story
Na Eng
Journalist and Communications Director at the McKnight Foundation
U.S. Student to Zimbabwe, 1999
[Fulbright was] one of the most transformative experiences of my life.
Read Her StoryMore than a simple recognition of academic and professional achievement, a Fulbright award is an acknowledgement of the power of participants to effect change in their host and home communities.
Egypt to U.S., 2015
In the Media
Recent News
Discover Fulbright Program news and updates.
Behind-the-Scenes Look at Dr. Zahi Hawass’ Luxor Discovery
Egyptian media outlet Cairo Scene followed alumnus Dr. Zahi Hawass and Fulbright Egypt for this exclusive video feature.
U.S. Scholar Alumna Featured on PBS NewsHour
Janai Nelson, alumna and Associate Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), was a guest commentator on PBS Newshour to discuss the trial and verdict of Derek Chauvin.
Fulbright-National Geographic Alumna Featured on The New Yorker Radio Hour
Destry Maria Sibley spoke about her grandmother’s story of being sent to a Mexican orphanage as a child during the Spanish Civil War.
Egyptian Fulbright Alumnus Discovers “Lost Golden City”
Egyptologist and Fulbright alumnus Dr. Zahi Hawass’ discovery “has been hailed as one of the most important archaeological finds since Tutankhamun’s tomb.”
Fulbright Association Celebrates 75th Anniversary with Participant Stories
The U.S. alumni organization of the Fulbright Program, the Fulbright Association, is sharing stories of inspirational Fulbrighters throughout 2021.
Third Fulbright Arctic Initiative Launches with Virtual Kick-Off
On March 23-24, the new cohort of Fulbright Arctic Scholars held a virtual meeting to kick off their 18-month collaborative research program.
Ex-Bristol Student Unable to Read at 13 Now Studying for PhD on Fulbright
William Carter was unable to read until the age of 13 because of his severe dyslexia and dyspraxia. He is now on a Fulbright at the University of California, Berkeley.
TCU Celebrates 75-Year Legacy with the U.S. Fulbright Program
Texas Christian University (TCU) launched a site that celebrates TCU Fulbrighters and their stories.
Fulbright Alumnus Named Editor-at-Large at Lonely Planet
Travel writer, multimedia journalist, and Fulbright alumnus Sebastian Modak was named the new Editor-at-Large for Lonely Planet.
An Advocate for the Disabled Talks About the Importance of Giving Back
Eyþór Kamban Þrastarson, a Fulbright fellow (Iceland to the U.S., 2015) and a manager of a Erasmus collaboration project that aims to empower and enable young people that are blind and visually impaired, discusses the impact Fulbright made on his life.
2020-21 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions Announced
We congratulate the 2020-21 Top Producing Institutions of Fulbright U.S. Students and Scholars, who had the most Fulbrighters in certain categories.
Rakuten Donation Enhances Fulbright Opportunities for Japanese Students
Fulbright Japan announced that Rakuten, Inc. has committed to establishing the Fulbright-Mikitani Memorial Grant to support future Japanese participants.
National Archives Signs MOU with Fulbright for Archival Science Fellowship
The National Archives and the State Department formalized a new partnership to establish the Fulbright-National Archives Heritage Science Fellowship.
Fulbright Partners with National Park Service to Strengthen Exchanges
Fulbright and the National Park Service signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), increasing environmental and cultural awareness worldwide.
Fulbright Program Celebrates 75th Anniversary in 2021
Read more about the Fulbright Program’s 75th anniversary celebration in DipNote, the U.S. Department of State’s official blog.
The Fulbright Program’s 2020 Year in Review
Take a look back at the program’s highlights and milestones in an unprecedented year.
The 2019-20 Fulbright-National Geographic Fellows Share their Stories
Now back from the field, the four 2019-20 Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellows share their research and photos.
2021 Events & Activities
Organizations around the world are celebrating Fulbright's 75th Anniversary.
Submit activities and events here, if you would like to be featured below.
Get Involved
We encourage all program alumni, partners, and friends to engage with Fulbright and their communities.
Egypt to U.S., 2019
