27th Annual Conference of the U.S. Fulbright Association, October 7 & 8, 2004
Co-Sponsored by
The Arcadia University Center for Education Abroad &
The Arcadia Center for Hellenic, Balkan and Mediterranean Studies and Research
Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee
The Fulbright Institute of International Relations, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
U.S. Educational Foundation in Greece (Fulbright Foundation)
Dear Members:
It is a pleasure to share information with you on the proceedings of the Fulbright Association's 27th Annual Conference, Celebrating the Fulbright Ethos. We hope you will find this conference report informative. We invite you to explore the opportunities for further involvement discussed at the conference and to make contacts within the Fulbright alumni community.
Plenary Speeches
In his keynote address, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs Thomas A. Farrell (Pakistan 1976) encouraged alumni to enhance their Fulbright experiences through engagement and to reach out to diverse and younger audiences.
As alumni, I would like you to consider outreach in a broader way, so that others learn about the wealth of Fulbright program opportunities. I'd also like you to stress mentoring, so that others, particularly young people, benefit from your enhanced subject area expertise, your leadership abilities, and your global awareness, Deputy Assistant Secretary Farrell said.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Farrell recognized the critical roles alumni play in supporting the Fulbright Program. He announced that the U.S. Department of State would increase the funds it currently makes available to the U.S. Fulbright Association and asked the Association to create projects that support the growth of international Fulbright alumni activities.
Closing plenary luncheon speaker Prof. P. Nikiforos Diamandouros (Greece 1978), who serves as the European Ombudsman, noted in his speech that the purpose of the conference was to celebrate the Fulbright ethos. He identified as elements of that ethos commitments to international understanding, to public service, and to the empowerment of citizens.
2004 Selma Jeanne Cohen Fund Lecture
Millicent Hodson, the 2004 Selma Jeanne Cohen Fund lecturer, entranced the audience with her presentation, Reconstructing Jeux, Nijinsky's Bloomsbury Ballet. Her lecture included slides and a video of her research on Jeux and on its subsequent performances. Many in the audience requested an article Dr. Hodson had written on Nijinsky. If you would like a copy of the article, which Ms. Hodson has kindly made available, please e-mail me.
Panel Session on Transatlantic Relations
The conference program included a panel discussion on Europe and Transatlantic Relations beyond May 2004. Panelists were Mark Ellis (Yugoslavia 1985, Croatia 1993), executive director of the International Bar Association, London; Gza Jeszenszky (USA 1984), who served as foreign minister of Hungary from 1990 to 1994 and as Hungarian ambassador to the United States from 1998 to 2002; and John Edwin Mroz, president and founder of the EastWest Institute. For information on the current work of the International Bar Association, please see http://www.ibanet.org/. For information on the EastWest Institute, go to http://www.ewi.info/.
Global Fulbright Alumni Seminar & Global Working Groups
The themes of international understanding, public service, and empowerment engaged participants and inspired plans for action to strengthen the global Fulbright alumni movement. We designed the conference to increase opportunities for participants to interact and build networks. Community organizational specialist Seth Kahan, who has served with the World Bank and other international associations interested in building community, facilitated a two-hour Global Fulbright Alumni Seminar (E-mail Seth Kahan). The seminar resulted in groups forming around the following areas:
* Starting New Fulbright Associations & Creating New Momentum in Existing Associations
Led by Michele Van de Roer (USA 1982), president, Association France Fulbright; Mario Him (USA 1985), president-elect, Panama Fulbright Alumni Association;and R. Fenton-May (USA 1967), president, U.S. Fulbright Association.
For information, please e-mail Jane Anderson.
* Celebrating the Centenary of Senator Fulbright's Birth (April 9, 2005)
Led by Wiltrud Hammelstein (USA 1986), member of Fulbright Associations in Germany, France, and the USA.
For information, please e-mail Wiltrud Hammelstein.
* Expanding the US-UK Network
Led by Louise Appleton (USA 1997), vice president, British Fulbright Scholars Association and Mark Horn (United Kingdom 1985), life member, U.S. Fulbright Association.
For information, please e-mail the U.S.-U.K. Network.
* International Education Week 2004 (Nov. 15-19)
Led by David Levin, senior program manager, diversity coordinator and Fulbright Association liaison, U.S. Department of State. For information on International Education Week 2004 and ideas for 2005, please visit http://www.exchanges.state.gov/iew/
Fulbright Association Task Forces
The Association's Arts, International Education, and Science and Environment Task Forces held sessions at the conference. A favorite presentation at the International Education Task Force, Fulbright 101, by David Levin, will be available shortly on this site.
If you would like to join any of the Task Forces ($5 annual fee), please e-mail Arts Task Force, International Education Task Force, or Science/Environment Task Force.
Annual Business Meeting of Members
Fulbright Association conferences also include the annual business meeting of members. Led by President R. Fenton-May, the meeting presented information on the Association's finances and plans. If you would like any of the information presented, please e-mail me.
Collaboration with the Hellenic Association of Fulbright Scholars
The Fulbright Association organized its conference in Greece at the invitation of the Hellenic Association of Fulbright Scholars, whose conference Olympism and the Fulbright Spirit: Humanism in Action immediately followed. We are delighted to acknowledge Anastasia Papaconstantinou, president of the Hellenic Association of Fulbright Scholars, Rita Panourgia, immediate past president of the Hellenic Association, and Artemis Zenetou, executive director of the U.S. Educational Foundation in Greece, whose collective vision, creativity, and spirit enriched our joint endeavor.
Co-Sponsors and Contributors
We also thank once again conference co-sponsors the Arcadia University Center for Education Abroad and the Arcadia Center of Hellenic, Balkan and Mediterranean Studies and Research; Austin Peay State University; the Fulbright Institute of International Relations of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; and the U.S. Educational Foundation in Greece.
We gratefully acknowledge conference contributors the American School of Classical Studies, Athens; the Embassy of the Unites States of America, Athens; the Hellenic Society Paideia, Storrs, Conn.; the Hungarian American Commission for Educational Exchange, Budapest; and Parkboy Construction, Washington, D.C.
We look forward to your continued involvement in the global Fulbright network over the months to come and to greeting you at a future Fulbright Association event or conference.. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments on the conference or other Fulbright Association events. With best regards.
Sincerely,
Jane L. Anderson, CAE
Executive Director
