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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S DESK
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Greetings from New Delhi:
USIEF celebrated its 60th anniversary on February 2, 2010. The past six decades have been a remarkable journey for the Foundation. This edition of the newsletter is dedicated to our alumni and its many directors since 1950.
At the Foundation Day celebration held at the Fulbright House on February 2, 2010, our Chief Guest was the Hon. Minister of External Affairs S.M. Krishna, who is a Fulbright alumnus from 1958. He was joined on the stage by US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale and US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer. The speakers reaffirmed their governments’ commitment to the Fulbright-Nehru program and emphasized the importance of the program in promoting mutual understanding between the citizens of India and the US.
Over 150 people attended the gala at the Fulbright House. Guests included USIEF board members, representatives from the Government of India and the US Embassy, American Fulbrighters, Indian Fulbright alumni and leaders in education and the corporate sector. Fulbright alumna Sharon Lowen performed a beautiful classical dance in the Oddisi style to wrap up the formal part of the program.
USIEF plans to mark this anniversary with events and programs scheduled throughout the year in Delhi and our regional centers.
This year also sees a further expansion of the Fulbright-Nehru Program. At the November 2009 Obama-Singh Summit in Washington, DC, India and the US made a commitment to strengthen their relationship by increasing the total annual allocation for the Fulbright-Nehru program from US$ 4.6 million in 2009-10 to 6.7 million in 2010-11. As a result, we anticipate that we will offer a total of over 250 Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships to Indian and American citizens in 2010-11. We awarded 87 fellowships in 2008-09.
For American citizens, these are exciting times to come to India on a Fulbright grant. Within the past two decades, India has emerged as a major knowledge-based economic power. Today, the country possesses one of the largest human resource treasures in almost all frontiers of education. Its universities and institutes of higher education have attained global recognition as a result of their significant contributions in multidisciplinary research and development ranging from the arts and humanities to biotechnology, nanotechnology and genetic engineering. Fulbright awards to India provide unique opportunities for US students, faculty and professionals to see an ancient civilization emerge as one of the world's major economic and industrial forces.
The Fulbright-Nehru, Fulbright and other fellowship competitions for academic years 2011-12 for Indian citizens were announced on February 16, 2010. Our deadlines for fellowships will be as early as May 2010.
I would encourage you to go through our website to learn about the fellowship categories, their eligibility criteria and application procedures. The website also hosts a current fellows page which will help you learn about recent proposals that have been successful.
I also encourage you to talk with Fulbright and other alumni about their experiences in the United States. USIEF staff and our website alumni page can help you to get in touch with people in your field who will be glad to answer questions. When you are ready to apply, you can download the application material from the USIEF website.
Screening and selection committees look for talented individuals whose projects are important to India and the US and who have the ability to be good cultural ambassadors. The ideal exchange fellow is one who both contributes important work in his/her field and encourages Indo-US networking during and after the fellowship.
Please bring these fellowships to the attention of those who may be interested. Best wishes to all of you as you explore these exciting opportunities.
Adam Grotsky
Executive Director
United States - India Educational Foundation
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February 24, 2010
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