“The Fulbright Program aims to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby to increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship."
 – J. William Fulbright

The Fulbright Program provides grants for graduate students, scholars and professionals, and teachers and administrators from the United States and other countries.  The flagship international educational program sponsored by the U.S. Government, the Fulbright Program is designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries..." With this goal, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 250,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to study and teach in each other's countries, exchange ideas, and develop joint solutions to address shared concerns.

Program History
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by former Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. Since its inception more than 50 years ago, 255,000 "Fulbrighters," 96,400 from the United States and 158,600 from other countries, have participated in the program. The Fulbright Program awards about 4,500 new grants annually.

Fulbright alumni include Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, governors and senators, ambassadors and artists, prime ministers and heads of state, professors and scientists, Supreme Court justices, and CEOs.

Fulbright at Rider University
The most recent Rider faculty member to receive the distinguished Fulbright Award was in 1999.  Dr. Pearlie Peters of Lawrenceville, associate professor of English at Rider University, received the award to participate in a Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad program called "West Meets East in Malaysia and Singapore." She was the 13th Rider faculty member to receive a prestigious Fulbright award.

Other Rider faculty who have received the Fulbright Award include:  Bosah Ebo, communication, to Germany (1997); Walter Eliason, education/retired, to Tunisia (1963), Costa Rica (1987), and Peru (1985); James Goldsworthy, piano, to Austria (1987); Jean Gray, finance/retired, to Australia (1952); Cengiz Haksever, management sciences, to Turkey (1993); Belmont Haydel, business policy/retired, to Uruguay (1989) and Jordan (1992); Sigfredo Hernandez, marketing, to Panama (1992); Lynn Livingston, library, to Germany (1955); Alan McLeod, English, to India (1983); Jonathan Mendilow, political science, to Yale University from Hebrew University (1980); Margaret Schleissner, German, to Germany (1988 and 1996); Marilyn Quinn, library, to Germany.

Funding and Program Administration
The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation by the U.S. Congress. Foreign governments and private organizations contribute through cost-sharing and indirect support, such as salary supplements, tuition waivers, university housing, etc. The Congressional appropriation for the Fulbright Program in fiscal year 2003 is $122.9 million. Foreign governments contribute an additional $28 million directly to the Fulbright Program.

For further information, contact:
Office of Academic Exchange Programs
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
U.S. Department of State, SA-44
301 4th Street, S.W., Room 234
Washington, D.C. 20547
Phone: (202) 619-4360
Fax: (202) 401-5914
Email: academic@state.gov