Ambassador Jeffrey L. Bleich, Chair of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board

Dear Fulbright Program Alumnus/a:

I write to you in my capacity as Chair of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, because you are a distinguished alumnus/a of the Fulbright Program. Senator Fulbright believed that the Fulbright effect is a life-long experience that demands continued engagement after scholars return home. Networking among alumni is critical to the long term vitality and success of the Fulbright Program: you have much to share with your fellow alumni and with broader audiences in the United States and abroad. That type of engagement has never been more vital, or more possible, than it is today. It is for this reason that I am writing.

Although over 370,000 Fulbrighters have completed their scholarships since the program started, there is currently no comprehensive way for all Fulbright alumni to find one another and connect on-line on projects of mutual interest. In the vast majority of cases, we do not even have email addresses, or an efficient way to share critical information or offer opportunities for you to engage with your fellow alumni. To address this, we have engaged the help of the Fulbright Association, which advocates for the Fulbright Program and offers programming through their network of 60 chapters nationwide. You can receive important information about Fulbright activities and ways to engage with other distinguished Fulbright alumni by joining a mailing list on the Association’s website. Because privacy considerations do not permit our Board to share your contact information without your permission with the Association or any other entity, we invite you (if you haven’t done so already) to provide your email and updated contact information via this link so that your colleagues may keep you up to date on alumni activities and the global Fulbright Program. You do not need to join the Association itself in order to be updated on these Fulbright activities going forward. Simply go to www.fulbright.org to learn more about the Association, and to join the mailing list.

Thank you for everything you do to keep the International Exchange Alumni community strong. With your help, we look forward to engaging you and other distinguished alumni to keep the Fulbright effect burning bright.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Bleich Chair