New Delhi, February 2, 2020 – The U.S.-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) today marked the 70th Anniversary of the prestigious Fulbright program in India. U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce addressed attendees at a gala event in New Delhi to commemorate the anniversary.
In his remarks, Ambassador Juster said, “The U.S-India relationship is growing rapidly. As I have said many times, I believe that the foundation of our partnership is our people-to-people ties. The Fulbright-Nehru program is a perfect example of the impact that our peoples have when they learn from each other and work together.”
Since its inception, USIEF has awarded approximately 11,128 Fulbright Fellowships to Indians and Americans. On July 4, 2008, the United States and India signed a historic new Fulbright agreement that made India a full partner in the governance and funding of the Fulbright Program. Following the new agreement, the Fulbright-Nehru Program has tripled in size. India now has the largest U.S. Fulbright scholar program, which provides approximately 75 grants to U.S. scholars to research and teach in India each academic year.
The Fulbright program, created by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946, was designed to increase mutual understanding among the people of the United States and the people of other countries. It has now grown into the premier U.S. international educational exchange program in the world. For more than 70 years, Fulbright has provided opportunities to some 390,000 American and international scholars and students.
“When Senator J. William Fulbright introduced the legislation establishing this program, he said it was about leadership, learning, and empathy between countries,” said Assistant Secretary Royce at the event. “Tonight’s celebration is a testament to the importance and longevity of Senator Fulbright’s vision.”
The binational United States-India Educational Foundation was among the earliest of the Fulbright Commissions or foundations. On February 2, 1950, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and U.S. Ambassador to India Loy Henderson signed a bilateral agreement to implement and administer a country Fulbright Program on behalf of the partner governments.
USIEF is now accepting applications from Indian citizens for Fulbright exchanges. For more details, visit www.usief.org.in, or contact one of the USIEF offices in New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, or Mumbai.
