The International Institute manages several long-term programs on behalf of US government agencies responsible for international educational exchange and professional development. Among the more prominent of the programs are: The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program We have administered the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program on behalf of the United States Department of State since 1984. The program offers opportunities for teachers, administrators, and other school and college faculty to participate in direct exchanges of positions with colleagues from other countries for six weeks, a semester, or an academic year. By living and working in the cultures of their host countries, exchange teachers and administrators gain an understanding and appreciation of the similarities and differences in national cultures and international education systems. Fulbrighters enrich their schools and communities with awareness of foreign cultures and of events occurring in other parts of the world, providing students and citizens with new perspectives about the world in which they live. International collaborations such as these foster enduring relationships and continuously provide students with opportunities to increase their subject knowledge and understand its relevance in the greater context of the world. Our staff handles outreach activities for this program involving 22 countries and 1000 participants, screen international applications, arrange interview, assist in arranging all exchanges and seminars, collect documentation, prepare publications and orientations, and send information and correspondence to teachers and schools. We also maintain contact with international teachers during their exchanges in the United States. For more information on the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, please visit www.fulbrightexchanges.org which includes an online application and information for alumni of the program. International Visitor Leadership Program As one of eight National Program Agencies (NPA), we design and administer exchange programs, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). IVLP operates under the authority of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (Fulbright-Hays Act), with the objective to increase mutual understanding through communication at the personal and professional levels. The Visitor program brings participants to the United States from all over the world each year to meet and confer with their professional counterparts, share best practices and approaches to solving common problems, and to experience the U.S. firsthand. The visitors, who are current or potential leaders in government, politics, the media, education, and other fields, are selected by American officials overseas. For more information, please visit http://exchanges.state.gov/education/ivp/. The Open World Program Since 2000 we have arranged local hosting in communities around the United States for leaders from Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania traveling under the auspices of the Open World Leadership Center. The Open World Program enables emerging leaders from Russia and other Eurasian countries to experience American democracy and civil society in action. It is the first and only exchange program in the U.S. legislative branch. Congress established the program in 1999 to increase U.S. Russian understanding and to expose Russian leaders to American democratic and economic institutions. The program is managed by the Open World Leadership Center, an independent legislative branch entity headquartered at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Open World has introduced more than 10,000 current and future Russian decision-makers to American political and civic life, and to their American counterparts. Recent pilot exchanges with Lithuania, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan have brought another 416 participants to the United States. Open World delegates range from first time mayors to veteran journalists, from nonprofit directors to small business advocates, and from political activists to high court judges. Pacific and Virgin Islands Training Initiative As a part of the U.S. Department of Interior's territorial technical assistance program, the International Institute provides training and organizational development support to U.S.-affiliated island governments in the Pacific Basin and Caribbean. The goal of the program is to improve fiscal accountability and performance in financial management by enhancing and re-engineering financial management systems and processes. Training delivery mechanisms include classroom training, on-the-job consult-training, technology-enabled learning, conferences and seminars. International Institute training has assisted American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianna Islands, Palau and the United States Virgin Islands. |
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