[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9513-9514]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAM

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my friend from 
Arkansas, Mr. Boozman, in cosponsoring a resolution recognizing the 
70th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program on August 1, 2016.
  Seventy years ago, Senator William Fulbright established this program 
for the ``promotion of international goodwill through the exchange of 
students

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in the fields of education, culture and science.'' The Fulbright 
Program receives funding each year with strong bipartisan support from 
Congress and is also supported by 50 binational commissions worldwide.
  Since its establishment, the Fulbright Program has become the United 
States' flagship educational exchange program. There have been more 
than 370,000 participants from around the world and all 50 States since 
the program was established. Fulbright alumni include 33 heads of 
state, 54 Nobel laureates, and 82 Pulitzer Prize winners.
  The Institute for International Education has administered the 
Fulbright Program since 1946 and has worked closely with the Department 
of State to ensure that the Fulbright Program is one of the most 
prestigious and effective international exchange programs in the world.
  The Fulbright Program makes a significant contribution to the 
exchange of ideas, knowledge, and understanding between Americans and 
people worldwide. It awards 8,000 grants annually, including to 1,600 
U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars, and 900 
visiting scholars, in addition to several hundred teachers and 
professionals.
  Increasingly, it seems as if the world is being torn apart by 
intolerance, hatred, violence, and isolationism. I am convinced that 
academic and cultural exchange programs, like Fulbright, are more 
relevant today than ever because they provide a strong antidote to 
these trends. Exchanges between individuals from around the world who 
share ideas and work together on issues and problems confronting the 
world can build relationships that endure for a lifetime.
  I congratulate the Fulbright Program, the alumni, and all who have 
supported the program for 70 years of promoting international goodwill, 
and I thank Senator Boozman for this resolution.

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