To motivate students for building cross-cultural relationship world over, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of Education and Cultural Affairs brought forward the Fulbright Program way back in 1946 under legislation introduced by Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The program aimed at building up state-to-state relationship and face-to-face exchanges with increasing dialogues and interactions between the citizens and students of United States and institutions with others across the globe.
The program is sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Department of the government. Around 286,500 ‘Fulbrighters,’ 108,160 from the United States and 178,340 from other countries have already been active participants of these programs since its initiation sixty years back. The Fulbright Program gives award to the tune of approximately 7,000 new grants on an annual basis.
The main source of funding of the program is the annual appropriation by the United States Congress towards the Department of State. In the fiscal year 2007, its appropriation accounts were $198.8 million. The participating governments, host institutions in other foreign countries and in the United States also contribute indirectly or in meeting expenses of the program.
Foreign governments through its bi-national commissions or foundations abroad gave its contribution of an additional $63.2 million directly through the Program. The Bureau of Educational conducts the administration of whole program and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State under the guidelines policy set up by the J William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and cooperative efforts by number of private organizations.
Among its various programs, The Fulbright U.S. Student Program needs special mention as under this program, fellowships provided for United States students who are either senior graduates or young professionals or artists and are willing to study anywhere outside America for one completely academic year. Under this program, there is also most important English Teaching Assistant component.
Yet another is Fulbright Foreign Student program helping young graduates, arriving from abroad for any of their research projects. Some of these scholarships renewed after the first year of study. The most enticing of the grant is the The Fulbright-mtvU Fellowships award only given to four students of United States who are fortunate enough to get the chance to study music as the most important cultural force in forming the relationships.
Under this program, fellows carry on the research for complete one academic year on any of the projects they like and exchange their skills and knowledge with each other through reports, blogs, podcasts etc. In this program, preference would be given to the students who display their projects through their professional zeal followed by a feasible plan besides presenting projects.
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