A Brief History
and the Fight for Fulbright’s Future
2018 UFSJ Fulbright English Teaching Assistants
International educational exchange is the most significant current project designed to continue the process of humanizing mankind to the point, we would hope, that men can learn to live in peace--eventually even to cooperate in constructive activities rather than compete in a mindless contest of mutual destruction....We must try to expand the boundaries of human wisdom, empathy and perception, and there is no way of doing that except through education.
Out of Conflict Came Fulbright
From 1941-1945, the United States of America was engaged in one of the most deadly and all-consuming conflicts the world has ever seen: World War II.
In September 1945, after the war had ended, U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas proposed a law that would use the money gathered by selling surplus military supplies and property to create a new international exchange program for scholars. Its aim was the “promotion of international [goodwill]” and peace.
Fulbright and Postwar Realities
Senator Fulbright’s proposal came at a crossroads in world history. Between 50-80 million people died throughout the six year duration of World War II, including millions of civilians in Europe, Northern Africa, and South-East Asia.
The world was weary of the costs of war. Programs were launched across the planet aimed at achieving worldwide peace and the avoidance of further conflict. In 1945, for example, the United Nations was officially formed. Its goals were, in part, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war;” and “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours.”
United Nations
1945
NATO
1949
Arab League
1945
African Union
1963
Fulbright’s Idea and Mission
The Fulbright Program aims to bring a little more knowledge, a
little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs
and thereby increase the chance that nations will learn at last to
live in peace and friendship. - J. William Fulbright
Given that the postwar world was desperate to maintain peace
through international efforts of unity and cooperation, Senator
Fulbright believed that an investment in future scholars and
change-makers would go a long way in promoting the search
for mutual understanding of the United States and its neighbors.
It didn’t take long for Fulbright’s plan to start changing the world,
as many of the first Fulbrighters went on to research and fight for
civil rights, equality, equity, and liberation in an unequal and unjust global society.
J. William Fulbright
U.S. Senator, Arkansas
Served from 1945-1974
Over the Years, Across the World
The program was established by an act of
Congress in 1946, and the first grant recipients
arrived in their host countries in 1948. The first
Fulbright cohort included 47 Americans and 36
international students in Burma, China, and
the Philippines.
Since its inception, the Fulbright Program has
funded more than 380,000 grants for students
to conduct research, learn, and teach abroad in
over 160 countries, including Brazil.
Countries with Fulbright Program Partnerships
Critiques Along the Way
Unfortunately, the Program’s history is more complicated than the ideals expressed by Senator Fulbright in the years that followed its creation. For example, the original method of funding the Fulbright Program by selling surplus military supplies to foreign nations was an extremely cheap way for the United States to get rid of these unwanted remnants of World War II. Simply said, the United States spent very little money on the program in its early years.
More importantly, some believe that the Fulbright Program’s original mission and intentions were somewhat self-promoting and disinterested in truly exploring the tenets of mutual exchange and understanding lauded by Senator Fulbright.
In Theory...
“The Fulbright Program, in short, was underpinned by two entirely contradictory understandings about the way in which ideas and culture travel: While foreigners in the United States would absorb American values, Americans abroad would do no such thing, and would instead spread American culture wherever they went. Beneath the rhetoric of “mutual exchange and understanding,” the cultural exchanges of the Fulbright program were expected to be one-way streets. The plan was very much a creature of its time: It reflected Americans’ unspoken faith in the power of American culture to transform the world without itself being transformed.”
- Fulbright historian Sam Lebovic, The Boston Globe 8/11/2013
...versus Reality
There is little research to support the actual effects of the Fulbright on the world. But to the extent that the program has facilitated the growth of genuine cultural exchange—and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence, at least, that it has—we shouldn’t be too quick to give credit to the foresight of its first, surprisingly parochial administrators. Better to credit the individual scholars, students, and teachers who have traveled overseas with open minds, both to the United States and away from it, and the countless individuals who have welcomed them. They created the Fulbright program as we know it. In a way, that is one testament to the power of educational exchange: It was far easier to create than it is to control.
- Fulbright historian Sam Lebovic, The Boston Globe 8/11/2013
Fulbrighters Who Have Changed the World
From the United States
Sylvia Plath, U.K.
Writer, Pulitzer Prize Winner
John Steinbeck, Soviet Union
Writer, Pulitzer Prize Winner
Henry Kissinger, India
Former Secretary of State
Nobel Peace Prize, 1973
Milton Friedman, U.K.
Nobel Laureate of Economics
Philip Glass, France
Composer
Daniel Libeskind, Finland
Architect
Fulbrighters Who Have Changed the World
From the World
Juan Manuel Santos Rivera
President of Colombia (2010-18)
Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh
Social entrepreneur, microfinance
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
President of Brazil (1995-2003)
Peter Higgs, UK
Theoretical Physicist
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
President of Croatia (2015-Present)
Fulbright Today
Today, the Fulbright Program offers many different types of grants for scholars at various points in their academic and professional careers - all funded either by the United States government or a binational Fulbright Commission, like Brazil.
For Students:
Open Study/Research Awards: a traditional award opportunity where a candidate designs a research proposal for a specific country
English Teaching Assistant Awards: place grantees in schools overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in the classrooms
For Professionals:
Many different types of awards are available for scholars, teachers, and professors at various stages in their careers for both American citizens and foreign nationals.
Fulbright in São João del Rei
Fulbright began collaborating with Brazil in 1957. Since then, the program has sent 3,500 Brazilians to the U.S. and brought over 2,900 Americans to Brazil. This year, 120 ETAs were sent to 38 different institutions in Brazil.
Fulbright grants in Brazil are now co-sponsored by CAPES.
ETAs were first sent to São João del Rei in 2013, in partnership with ISF. Now, Fulbright works directly with the Letras department at each university.
Fulbright Grants in the United States
There are many opportunities for Brazilians and citizens of many different countries around the world to study, conduct research, or teach in the United States. Among these awards are those for academics and professionals at various states in their careers.
There is an award available for young Brazilians like you! It is called the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) award. Each year, approximately 20 Brazilians are awarded a grant to teach Portuguese at an American host university, similar to the ETA experience in Brazil.
This year, we’re excited that a resident of São João del Rei has be awarded a grant to teach Portuguese at the University of Georgia next year as a Fulbright FLTA!
Fulbright Grants in the United States
This video from the Brazilian Fulbright Commission provides additional information about the FLTA award:
Fulbright in Peril
Unfortunately, from time-to-time, the Fulbright Program has faced serious challenges. Many budget proposals over the years have threatened to put the program on the Congressional “chopping block.”
Last year, for example, a 47% cut to funding was proposed for 2018, but advocates for the program kept funding at its 2017 level of $240 million.
This year, a 71% budget cut to the Fulbright Program has been proposed for the 2019 fiscal year. Fulbright is aiming to avoid such a reduction and to eventually restore funding to its 2010 level of $252 million.
If the current budget proposal is approved, the future of Fulbright is uncertain after over 70 years of providing hundreds-of-thousands of scholars from around the world with transformative international & intercultural experiences.
#StandForFulbright 2018
The hashtag #StandForFulbright is being used to show the program’s world impact.
Help us #StandForFulbright
We hope that this presentation has provided you with additional information about why we are in São João del Rei. Oftimes, it is difficult to explain our jobs as “ETAs.” Our opportunity to be here and the experiences we have shared together with you are part of Fulbright’s story. We also hope that you see the value in scholarly exchange programs such as Fulbright and the impact they can have on individuals, communities, and our world.
Now more than ever, Fulbright’s future is not certain. Fulbrighters have fought before to keep the program alive and thriving. This time, we are asking for your help.
What follows is a list of important decision-makers in the United States who might vote against providing Fulbright with adequate funding. Please carefully listen to their biographical information and the facts we have selected.
Doug Jones, Alabama
Democratic United States Senator
In office from 2018-present
Senator Jones was formerly an assistant United
States Attorney with the Department of Justice.
He is the first Democrat to be elected from the state
of Alabama since 1992.
Considered a reliably moderate liberal voice in the
United States Senate.
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
Republican United States Senator
In office from 2002-present
Senator Murkowski was formerly an attorney and
Alaska State Representative.
Currently serves on the Committee of Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Considered a reliably moderate conservative
voice in the United States Senate.
Jeff Flake, Arizona
Republican United States Senator
In office from 2013-present
Senator Flake was formerly an international non-
profit director and US Congressman from Arizona.
Currently serves on the Committee on Foreign
Relations.
Considered a reliably moderate conservative
voice in the United States Senate and a frequent
critic of President Donald J. Trump.
John Boozman, Arkansas
Republican United States Senator
In office from 2011-present
Senator Boozman was formerly an optometrist and
US Congressman.
Currently serves in the same Senate seat in which
J. William Fulbright once served.
Considered a reliably conservative voice in the
United States Senate.
Claire McCaskill, Missouri
Democratic United States Senator
In office from 2007-present
Senator McCaskill was formerly a lawyer and
Auditor General of Missouri.
Currently serves as a member of the Senate
Homeland Security Committee.
Considered a reliably moderate liberal voice in the
United States Senate.
Dean Heller, Nevada
Republican United States Senator
In office from 2011-present
Senator Heller was formerly a stockbroker and
statewide & federal political official in Nevada.
He is currently a member of the Committees on
Finance & Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Considered a reliably moderate conservative voice
in the United States Senate.
Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota
Democratic United States Senator
In office from 2013-present
Senator Heitkamp was formerly a businesswoman
and North Dakota Attorney General.
She was the first woman to be elected to represent
North Dakota in the United States Senate.
Considered a reliably moderate liberal voice in the
United States Senate.
Patrick Toomey, Pennsylvania
Republican United States Senator
In office from 2011-present
Senator Toomey was formerly worked in the
financial sector as as a US Congressman from PA.
He and his brothers once owned a restaurant in
Allentown, Pennsylvania called Rookie’s.
Considered a reliably conservative voice in the
United States Senate.
Bob Corker, Tennessee
Republican United States Senator
In office from 2007-present
Senator Corker was formerly a non-profit director
and Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
He is currently the chair of the Committee on
Foreign Relations.
Considered a reliably conservative voice in the
United States Senate.
Joe Manchin, West Virginia
Democratic United States Senator
In office from 2010-present
Senator Manchin was formerly the Secretary of State
and Governor of West Virginia.
Manchin, a Democrat, represents one of the most
Republican-leaning states in the United States.
Considered a reliably moderate liberal voice in the
United States Senate.
Ron Johnson, Wisconsin
Republican United States Senator
In office from 2011-present
Senator Johnson was formerly a businessman and
CEO of a plastics extrusion company.
He currently serves on the Committee on Foreign
Relations.
Considered a reliably conservative voice in the
United States Senate.
#StandForFulbright Activity
Please select one of the decision-makers we have showed you, or feel free to do your own research in the next few minutes and find one on your own.
Once you have made your selection, we ask that you please write a letter to this politician telling them your thoughts on the Fulbright Program. Think about the programs your ETAs have provided over the years. Have you benefited from the work of Fulbright? What decision do you think the leader you have selected should make regarding Fulbright funding? Please use one full page (or more if you want!) to write a letter to this senator telling them your thoughts.
We will provide you a piece of paper and envelope so that we can mail your letters, along with our own UFSJ ETA letter expressing our hope that the US government continues to support Fulbright!
#StandForFulbright Activity
“It is important to remain positive and non-partisan in all advocacy communications. We wish to focus on the positive impact of the Fulbright Program, using your stories rather than criticism of proposed budget cuts, and we strive to retain strong support from both parties.”
Activity Instructions
Since you are writing your letter to a federal official of the United States government, we have a few suggestions for how to format your letter:
Your Mailing Address (optional, but good if you want to receive a response)
Senator John Doe
1776 USA Street
Washington, D.C. 12345
Dear Senator Doe,
BODY OF LETTER (2-3 paragraphs)
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
Activity Instructions
Please address the envelope in the following format:
YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
BRASIL
SENATOR (NAME)
STREET ADDRESS/OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510 U.S.A.
Thank You!
We want to thank you for listening to our presentation and helping us do our part to help #StandForFulbright!
It is our sincere hope that your participation in our programs at UFSJ have truly helped both your ETAs and you work towards Senator Fulbright’s goals of mutual exchange and understanding.
If you are interested in continuing us to help preserve and expand the Fulbright Program, please let us know.
For more information about Fulbright, visit: https://www.cies.org/