History of the Fulbright Program

At the close of the second World War, J. William Fulbright, then a freshman senator from Arkansas, envisioned an exchange program whereby future leaders would visit and observe the cultures and institutions of countries and peoples other than their own. He hoped this would increase mutual understanding among the nations and societies of the world. The US Congress passed the legislation, which was signed into law in 1946 by President Truman. The first participants took their Fulbrights two years later.

Since the Fulbright Program was initiated, almost 100,000 US Scholars and more than 160,000 citizens of other nations have taken advantage of the grants it offers to carry out scholarly pursuits in countries not their own.

Contact George Burke: g.burke@csuohio.edu