Championing the Values of Fulbright 

Message from Executive Director Belinda Theriault

Dear alumni and friends,

Every year I am filled with hope for our future when I see the dedicated individuals, both Icelandic and American, that we are fortunate enough to support, both through Fulbright and non-Fulbright programs in the Commission´s portfolio. There is no doubt that our grant programs provide great value to individual grantees, but no less important are the long-term benefits to our societies and Fulbright’s significant role in encouraging dialogue and increasing mutual understanding between our two countries. Through the Fulbright Program and other grants that we support, we uphold democratic values and freedoms, we strengthen academia, science and innovation, and we foster talent. And that is how we promote strength, safety and prosperity. Let us not forget that the pursuit of knowledge, cooperation and the free exchange of ideas are the foundations upon which these three pillars rest. Bringing together the best minds has played a large role in U.S. success over the last decades, as well as in the success of partner countries. Academic freedom and robust debate are central to progress. Fulbright must continue to be front and center when it comes to championing these principles.

Not all of the awards offered by this Commission are Fulbright grants, although we apply the same rig­or to all of our programs. We have, for example, for some years been sending high school students to participate in college summer programs in the U.S. These summer academies allow high-achieving students to gain insights into the U.S. college experience and try out college level courses. This oppor­tun­ity has been immensely popular and sought after here in Iceland, making these grants the most com­pet­itive that the commission offers. We have concluded agreements now with three U.S. univers­ities that are offering summer programs – Boston University, Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt Uni­vers­ity – in order to offer grants to high-achieving high school students, who clamor for this type of opportunity. Unfortunately, we no longer have dedicated funding for these grants. We desperately want to continue the program, but it will not be possible to offer these grants in the future unless we find new partners who are willing to step up and fund the program, which is comparatively inex­pen­sive and highly impactful. So let us know if you have any ideas. It would be heartbreaking to disappoint the many high school students who are already eagerly awaiting our next grant advertisement.