Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Student Housing
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
Global

Fulbright Keeps Moving Forward Despite Budget Uncertainty

By Ian Wilhelm October 23, 2011
Gabriel Preliasco, of Uruguay, received a Fulbright Nexus award to study turbines that require less wind, at Colorado’s National Wind Technology Center.
Gabriel Preliasco, of Uruguay, received a Fulbright Nexus award to study turbines that require less wind, at Colorado’s National Wind Technology Center.Benjamin Rasmussen for The Chronicle

As lawmakers seek to make deep cuts in federal spending, the U.S. State Department’s Fulbright Program—the nation’s flagship academic exchange—faces an uncertain future.

Members of Congress have yet to set the 2012 fiscal-year budget, and proposals vary on how much the department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which oversees Fulbright, will receive. The Senate has approved a 2.2-percent increase in the bureau’s 2011 allocation, while the House of Representatives has proposed a 10.1-percent reduction. For its budget request for 2012, the Obama administration sought an increase in spending for the bureau, but also asked for an almost $1-million decrease in Fulbright.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

As lawmakers seek to make deep cuts in federal spending, the U.S. State Department’s Fulbright Program—the nation’s flagship academic exchange—faces an uncertain future.

Members of Congress have yet to set the 2012 fiscal-year budget, and proposals vary on how much the department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which oversees Fulbright, will receive. The Senate has approved a 2.2-percent increase in the bureau’s 2011 allocation, while the House of Representatives has proposed a 10.1-percent reduction. For its budget request for 2012, the Obama administration sought an increase in spending for the bureau, but also asked for an almost $1-million decrease in Fulbright.

FULBRIGHT DATA: Countries Sending the Most Scholars to the U.S. |
Top Destinations for U.S. Scholars | Top Destinations for U.S. Students |
Top Producers of American Scholars, by Institution Type | Top Producers of American Students, by Institution Type

As the fiscal battle wears on, Marianne Craven, managing director of the bureau’s office of academic programs, says she is “cautiously positive” that Fulbright will survive relatively unscathed.

“We hope we can maintain as close to our current level as possible, and, depending on the budget outcome, we’ll be looking at any inefficiencies we can find or working within our priorities to establish where we would have to reduce,” says Ms. Craven, who until recently was the department’s acting deputy assistant secretary for academic programs. Meghann Curtis was appointed to the position this month.

For 2011, the Fulbright’s budget fell by $16.4-million, to $237.4-million. Ms. Craven says the change led to modest cuts, including decreases in its foreign-language awards and in the number of fellowships it provides for international students to enroll in doctoral studies in science and technology at American institutions.

“When the budget decreases, obviously we have to make choices,” she says. “We want to keep the core programs strong. We want to keep them innovative and diverse.”

With the budget scrutiny, Ms. Craven says, the bureau has been more systematic in offering briefings on Capitol Hill about its work, including Fulbright activities.

While it’s unclear how much the U.S. government will spend on the Fulbright Program in 2012, other countries have been steadily raising their financial commitment to it—a sign of international interest in academic ties despite the tough economic times.

Foreign-government contributions to Fulbright rose $10-million, to $89-million, in 2010, the latest year for which data are available. The money helps pay for foreign scholars and students to study at American colleges, among other exchanges.

ADVERTISEMENT

Chile led the way, providing almost $8.2-million. Other major contributors include Brazil, Germany, and Spain.

“The strength of the foreign-government contributions really tells us how much the programs are valued,” says Ms. Craven.

She says the bureau also benefits from partnerships with the private sector.

For example, this year the bureau is marking its five-year anniversary of working with mtvU, the educational arm of the cable-TV music channel, to provide a few fellowships to American graduates to study music and cultures overseas. “It really brings to life the international experience through music,” she says.

ADVERTISEMENT

While companies and other private donors provided $17-million for Fulbright programs in 2010, Ms. Craven says the bureau remains cautious about relying too much on outside dollars, even with a potentially shrinking budget.

“We learned that you really need to look at sustainability and not just going after the funds for the sake of the funds,” she says.

As for its programs, the bureau continues to want to use Fulbright as a way to develop ideas that contribute to meeting global challenges, like developing renewable-energy sources or fighting HIV/AIDS. As part of its new Fulbright Nexus Program, for instance, the bureau provided awards to 20 scholars, nonprofit leaders, and businesspeople in the Western Hemisphere who are doing work in three areas: science, technology, and innovation; sustainable energy; and entrepreneurship.

The bureau has also organized meetings focused on global issues for Fulbright participants. Last year it worked with the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to bring together students from 46 developing countries and a broad variety of disciplines to discuss ways to improve food security.

ADVERTISEMENT

Malnutrition around the world and similar problems are “being addressed by governments and other entities, but the role of scholars and institutions in addressing those issues is really important, especially since they need to be solved on the global level,” says Ms. Craven. “It can’t just be one country solving them.”

Correction (10/24, 11:20 a.m.): This article originally reported incorrectly on the size of the cut in the Fulbright budget in 2011. It fell by $16.4-million, to $237.4-million, not by $300,000, to $253.5-million. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
International
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Wilhelm_Ian.jpg
About the Author
Ian Wilhelm
Ian Wilhelm is a deputy managing editor at The Chronicle.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

Fulbright Student From Afghanistan Resolves to Apply Skills Back Home
A Doctor With a Mission Expands His Work in Sierra Leone
Music Student Seeks Sounds of Reconciliation in Northern Ireland

More News

Protesters gather outside the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 14, 2025 to protest the Trump administrations cuts at the agency.
An Uncertain Future
The Education Department Got a Green Light to Shrink. Here Are 3 Questions About What’s Next.
Susie West and Dianne Davis-Keening, U of M Extension SuperShelf coordinators.
A 'Connector' Severed
Congress Cut a Federal Nutrition Program, Jeopardizing Campus Jobs and Community Services
PPP 10 FINAL promo.jpg
Bouncing Back?
For Once, Public Confidence in Higher Ed Has Increased
University of California, Berkeley chancellor Dr. Rich Lyons, testifies at a Congressional hearing on antisemitism, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on July 15, 2025. It is the latest in a series of House hearings on antisemitism at the university level, one that critics claim is a convenient way for Republicans to punish universities they consider too liberal or progressive, thereby undermining responses to hate speech and hate crimes. (Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP)
Another Congressional Hearing
3 College Presidents Went to Congress. Here’s What They Talked About.

From The Review

Photo-based illustration with repeated images of a student walking, in the pattern of a graph trending down, then up.
The Review | Opinion
7 Ways Community Colleges Can Boost Enrollment
By Bob Levey
Illustration of an ocean tide shaped like Donald Trump about to wash away sandcastles shaped like a college campus.
The Review | Essay
Why Universities Are So Powerless in Their Fight Against Trump
By Jason Owen-Smith
Photo-based illustration of a closeup of a pencil meshed with a circuit bosrd
The Review | Essay
How Are Students Really Using AI?
By Derek O'Connell

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin