With my Fulbright Association Board Member "hat" on, I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with the Office of Senator Marco Rubio.
Our advocacy team was comprised of members of the Fulbright Board from throughout Florida.
Our mission was to request the Senator's support for the Fulbright Program for FY2022. (In years past, I traveled to DC to participate in advocacy meetings; this year we were in contact via a zoom call.)
The Fulbright Program is now in its 75th year with a strong network of 400,000 Fulbright alumni around the world (including 59 Nobel prize winners, 39 heads of state, 86 Pulitzer Prize winners, Members of Congress of both parties). Fulbright reaches 165 countries.
I hope this blog is testament to the lasting impact of partnerships developed as a result of the Fulbright exchange program.
During our meeting, we discussed the ways in which this public diplomacy program contributes to our national security. The Fulbright
program helps to build strategic relationships with friends, allies, and trade partners
-- especially critical to reconnect post-pandemic. Visiting Fulbrighters teach critical languages (e.g., at USF St Pete we had a Fulbrighter teaching Arabic).
The Fulbright program brings financial and educational resources to communities across America who are hosting Fulbrighters from abroad.
And Fulbright has had a lasting impact through the 400,000 alumni strong network. (I recently presented a poster at a Fulbright conference on the impact of Fulbright - and compiled the number of articles and book chapters published, conference presentations, joint classes, and other projects and activities that grew out of my Fulbright awards -- now imagine multiplying that productivity by 400,000 -- and you get the idea of the massive impact of this exchange program)
#StandForFulbright
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