PR-2134
August 1, 2021
The 75th Anniversary of Fulbright Program
Please join AIT to celebrate the Fulbright Program’s 75th Anniversary! The Fulbright Program is the United States government’s flagship international educational and cultural exchange program, in partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide. Initiated by Senator J. William Fulbright, the Fulbright Act was signed by President Harry Truman in 1946 to promote mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of the world. Since its establishment in 1946 by the U.S. Congress, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) administers the Fulbright Program under policy guidelines established by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB). The Fulbright Taiwan Program, established in 1957, is administered by the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange (FSE). It is a bilateral program co-funded by the United States and Taiwan. Over the past 60+ years, Fulbright has sent more than 2,000 Taiwan grantees to the U.S. and brought more than 2,000 U.S. grantees to Taiwan. The AIT Director serves as Honorary Chair of the FSE Board, comprised of ten American and Taiwan members.
As the Fulbright Program marks its 75th anniversary in 2021, its legacy is represented by hundreds of thousands of distinguished and diverse alumni, who are contributing to a more peaceful, equitable, prosperous, and just world. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, and include 60 Nobel Prize recipients, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 39 who have served as a head of state or central government. In Taiwan, the Fulbright alumni list reads like a who’s who in the public sector, academia, the arts, business, civil society, media, and education. Many of them are Taiwan’s high-level officers, university presidents, renowned artists, and social activists, including former Vice Premier and Minister of Finance Paul Chiu, former Premier JIANG Yi-Huah, former Interior and Education Minister YEH Jiunn-Rong, former Transportation Minister HO CHEN Tan, Vice President of Shin-Kong Bank LEE Jih-Chu, former VP of Goldman Sachs SUNG Hsueh-Jen, founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theater LIN Hwai-Min, Director of the National Performing Arts Center JU Tzong-Ching, and National Policy Advisor to the President & Professor of National Chengchi University Dr. WU Jing-Jyi.
Throughout 2021, all the Fulbright partners and supporters are celebrating the 75th anniversary with a range of activities taking place around the world. In conjunction with the International Education Week, AIT will celebrate the “Fulbright Taiwan Day” on November 15. Please follow AIT’s Facebook and check out the 75th anniversary calendar for the upcoming events. https://fulbright75.org/events/