Celebrations were held this month at the Embassy of Italy in Washington DC for the 70th anniversary of the Fulbright Program in Italy, a scholarship program that supports academic exchanges founded in 1946.
Organised by the US-Italy Fulbright Commission, the US Department of State and the Embassy of Italy, the conference was attended by Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio, US assistant secretary of state for Education and Cultural Affairs, Marie Therese Royce and executive director of the US-Italy Fulbright Commission Paola Sartorio.
“When Senator Fulbright began this program, he said it was about leadership, learning and empathy between countries”
Both Varricchio and Royce highlighted the role the program played in developing and strengthening relations between the US and Italy, and for promoting excellence across a variety of fields, from politics to science.
The US-Italy Fulbright Program has produced six MacArthur Foundation Fellows, seven US Ambassadors, eight Nobel laureates and 13 Pulitzer Prize winners, Royce explained during the conference, to widespread applause.
“When Senator Fulbright began this program, he said it was about leadership, learning and empathy between countries. Fulbright alumni embody those characteristics and they inspire us with their accomplishments,” she said.
The Fulbright Program in Italy has since 1948 allowed more than 14,000 Americans and Italians to conduct study, research or lecture in the other country. Today, about 70/80 are awarded each year, the Department of State said in a statement.
The flagship international education exchange of the US government, the Fulbright program is active in more than 160 countries.
