U.S. Capitol Tour Guide Steve Otero guides FFSB Member Dr. Christie Gilson around a scale-model display of Washington, DC, complete with building replicas and Braille markings for each street. FFSB Member Dr. Christie Gilson spoke at a Mid-Year Conference for 392 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) from 50 countries, December 13-15 in Washington, DC.  The current class represents 33 languages, with FLTAs teaching their native languages and cultures at 220 U.S. colleges and universities this year.  Dr. Gilson addressed the FLTA participants, sharing her own experiences as a Fulbright Scholar in Hong Kong and the importance of each Fulbrighter sharing his or her own stories and encouraging others to achieve their dreams.  She also attended several of the FLTA workshops, and attended meetings with the American Association of People with Disabilities and the States International Council on Disabilities.
 

FFSB Chair Tom Healy talks with Fulbright NEXUS Scholars. FFSB Chairman Tom Healy joined the 2012-2013 Fulbright NEXUS scholars during their inaugural meeting in Banff, Canada November 7-12. With this year’s emphasis on climate change and adaptation strategies, the group of 20 scientists, engineers, and researchers from throughout the Western Hemisphere aim to explore technological responses to critical public policy challenges through collaborative research and innovative problem-solving. In his remarks, Chairman Healy set the Fulbright NEXUS scholars’ research into a deeper global and historical context with avid depictions of the Greek myth of Typhon and the development of U.S. hurricane tracking. He concluded by calling upon the NEXUS scholars to engage the fullest extent of their creativity to “understand the world in order to save it.”

Several members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board attended Gateway Orientations across the country, welcoming new Fulbrighters as they began their studies in the United States. These orientations bring together incoming Fulbright students and scholars from around the world to introduce them to living and studying in the United States, and to better prepare them for their roles as citizen ambassadors in promoting mutual understanding.

On July 31, 2012, Mark Alexander spoke at the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Orientation at Columbia University, while Dr. Shelby Lewis greeted visiting Fulbrighters at the University of Oklahoma. In her speech, Dr. Lewis advised the incoming scholars that “as you immerse into a new community and culture, you will be challenged at times, professionally and personally. Keep an open mind and consider viewing those challenges as little gifts.” She continued, assuring them that “those gifts – and the life-changing gift of your Fulbright experience – will render your being a stronger and wiser citizen of the world.” Also, on August 14, Betty Castor addressed 83 students from 52 countries at the Fulbright Gateway Orientation hosted by Miami Dade College.

Meanwhile, Chairman Tom Healy was in Australia August 11-25, meeting with Fulbrighters and Fulbright alumni around the country. In remarks to incoming U.S. Fulbright Scholars in Canberra, he implored them to “let the stories of Australia get inside you; notice how these stories change you. Then you change them, make them personal and release them again.” Chairman Healy also discussed the future of the Fulbright Program in interviews with several news outlets. In a local radio interview he also reflected on the rich heritage and diversity of the Fulbright Program and the opportunities that Fulbright will continue to provide global scholars and international leaders in the future. Following Chairman Healy’s visit, U.S. Ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich discussed how his own conversations with Fulbrighters have opened his eyes to different ways of viewing and relating to the world.

Chairman Tom Healy (back row, fourth from right) joins Fulbright Senior Scholar and IT instructor Ronnie Ward (far right) in an award ceremony for students receiving certificates of professional development in global software development. FSB Chairman Tom Healy travelled to Jakarta from May 6 to 10, participating in activities celebrating the 60th anniversary of Indonesia’s Fulbright Program and 20th anniversary of the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF), which included a dinner reception hosted by U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel. In his remarks, Chairman Healy praised the 3,000 Fulbrighters who have participated in exchanges between Indonesia and the United states, stating that “Fulbright has been a success, but we must do more… we must expand our efforts to share knowledge, to teach our children, to solve the challenges of poverty and pollution, to find common purpose in the diversities of our faiths and traditions, to work for peace.” During the trip, Chairman Healy was interviewed with award-winning novelist and Fulbright alumnus Ahmad Fuadi on a local news show, and joined a lunch discussion group of American and Indonesian writers that included one current Fulbrighter and three alumni. He also participated in an award ceremony for software development students at the Institut Teknologi Bandung, and paid a special visit to Darul Hikam Boarding School.

Chairman Tom Healy with Fulbrighters and program administrators in Rabat, Morocco.

Chairman Tom Healy visited Rabat, Morocco and Cairo, Egypt from March 9 to 21, 2012.In meetings with Fulbright students, scholars, alumni, and program administrators, he soughtinsight into ways to improve the Fulbright Program and the role of U.S. academic exchange inthe region. Noting how the ripples of last year’s Arab Spring continue to be felt, Chairman Healy also discussed the important roles that Fulbrighters and the Fulbright Program have played inshaping the future of democracy in Northern Africa.

Vice-Chair Susan Ness meets with Austrian and American Fulbright grantees, alumni, and Austrian-American Educational Commission staff.

After meeting with Fulbright grantees and Fulbright Commission staff in Vienna, Austria,Vice-Chair Susan Ness continued to Germany to participate in the 60th anniversary celebration of the German-American Fulbright Program. In her March 19th speech in Berlin, Vice-Chair Ness highlighted the long history of Fulbright in Germany and its central role in German-American diplomacy. The academic exchange program, she noted, was born out of Senator J.William Fulbright’s desire to overcome the shadows of conflict by creating new opportunities for international interaction and dialogue.

Dr. Shelby Lewis (right) receives a gift from Dr. Edith Kabonesa of Makerere University during her visit to Tororo Girls School on February 26, 2012. Dr. Lewis was one of the school’s founding teachers as a Fulbright scholar in 1965.

Dr. Shelby Lewis, Member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, traveled to Uganda February 22 to 27, 2012. In Kampala, at Makerere University, she delivered a speech entitled The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Program and Africa during President Barack Obama’s Administration, in which she highlighted Ugandan and African-American Black History achievers. Dr. Lewis also met with the Parliament of Uganda, visited the Queen of Buganda, and journeyed to Tororo Girls School to highlight the United States’ commitment to strengthening education in Uganda and deepening academic ties between the two nations.

Her trip continued through March 9 to China then South Korea to meet with Fulbright grantees, alumni, and representatives of country Fulbright commissions.

om Healy, Chairman of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board

Tom Healy, Chairman of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, traveled to New Delhi at the start of 2012 for his inaugural trip as Chairman. Chairman Healy (in necktie) visited The United States – India Educational Foundation (USIEF) on January 9 to meet with staff members and share a meal with current Fulbright Program grantees and alumni.

Chairman Tom Healy visits Sanskriti Kendra, a cultural center on the outskirts of New Delhi

On January 9, 2012, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Chairman Tom Healy visited Sanskriti Kendra, the cultural center on the outskirts of New Delhi, which has hosted many American artists, including Fulbrighters. The founder of Sanskriti Kendra, who established the center 30 years ago, gave Chairman Healy a tour around the complex of museums and ceramics studios.