The mission of the Fulbright Association is to advocate for the Fulbright Program and promote international education. Our vision is a world where international exchange is widely recognized as a force for peace.
What is the Fulbright Association?
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The Fulbright Association extends the Fulbright international exchange into a lifelong experience for U.S. alumni. We connect alumni and friends of the Fulbright program through lifelong learning, collaborative networking, and service projects at home and abroad.
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Established on February 27, 1977, the Fulbright Association is the official U.S. alumni organization of the Fulbright Program, representing 140,000 U.S. alumni – 70 years of Fulbrighters since the program’s inception – and friends of international education. We support a thriving alumni community that helps increase visibility for the Fulbright effect and helps preserve Fulbright exchanges for future generations.
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Through our 50 local chapters, the Fulbright Association hosts more than 230 regional and national programs each year for visiting Fulbrighters and alumni throughout the United States. Programs include educational events, career development seminars, music and art presentations, networking events, volunteer activities, and more.
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We are a hub for Fulbright alumni to connect in meaningful ways, as well as a community of friends of Fulbright who support international education and cultural understanding around the world.
Our History
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In 1976, the Board of Foreign Scholarships (now the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board) convened regional Fulbright alumni meetings to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Fulbright Program. The Fulbright Association grew out of resolutions adopted at those meetings. The late Arthur Power Dudden became its founding president.
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Senator J. William Fulbright encouraged alumni to create an active constituency for the Fulbright Program that would educate Congress and the public about the benefits of advancing increased mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries. He wanted U.S. alumni to welcome and exchange ideas with Fulbrighters from abroad. Through our programs and advocacy campaigns, the Fulbright Association sustains these goals for future generations of Fulbright alumni and supporters.
Who Are Fulbright Alumni?
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Fulbright alumni are leaders in every field and represent over 165 countries. They are global change-makers in politics, business, science, education, and the arts. Our ranks include 84 Pulitzer Prize winners, 71 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, 59 Nobel Prize laureates, 37 current or former heads of state or government, and 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.
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Our alumni come from thousands of public and private universities in the United States and abroad. Fulbrighters are committed to advancing mutual understanding, tolerance, and peaceful relations worldwide.