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The newsletter of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, promoting educational and cultural exchange between Australia and the United States.
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2016 Fulbright Scholar Presentation Evening

This year's cohort of Australian and American Fulbright Scholars were officially introduced at an elegant ceremony at the RACV City Club, Melbourne on February 25.

30 Australians and 16 Americans from a diverse array of academic backgrounds were awarded Fulbright Scholarships. Candidates were selected from all levels of academia and industry from Postgraduate, Postdoctoral and Senior Scholars to Professional and Distinguished Chair awardees. 

The new Fulbright Ambassadors Program was also formally announced, with a number of esteemed Fulbright supporters awarded certificates of recognition.
The Commission was honoured to welcome several esteemed U.S. representatives including His Excellency Mr John Berry, U.S. Ambassador, Ms Frankie Reed, U.S. Consul General for Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Northern Territory; Mr Hugo Llorens, U.S. Consul General for New South Wales and Queensland and Ms Cynthia Griffin, U.S. Consul General for Western Australia.

We also had the pleasure of hosting the Hon Mr Steve Herbert, Victorian Minister for Training and Skills and Mr Craig Robertson, Deputy Secretary, Higher Education, representing the Hon Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria.

At the close of the evening, we farewelled Dr Tangerine Holt, who has stepped down as Executive Director after five years of service to Fulbright.

For a recap of the event and gallery of photos, see our website.
Here is a sneak-peek at some of the footage taken of our new Scholars at the 2016 Fulbright Scholar Presentation Evening.
See our website for details

Fulbright Scholar Stories 


Sarah Dunstan 
Postgraduate Scholar, African-American History

The University of Sydney
 


“International educational exchange is the most significant project designed to continue the process of humanizing mankind to the point, we would hope, that men can learn to live in peace, eventually even to cooperate in constructive activities rather than compete in a mindless contest of mutual destruction." 
- Senator J. William Fulbright, Remarks on the 30th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program, 1976.
 
Having just returned from nine months in New York on a Fulbright scholarship, I can fully attest to the truth in Senator Fulbright’s words. In every way, the Fulbright experience has challenged and enriched my perspectives on life. It has given me the opportunity to be part of a dynamic and vibrant intellectual community at Columbia University History Department. Professors Mark Mazower and Eric Foner offered me the benefit of their direct mentorship, pushing me to develop my thinking in new ways.

More broadly, the academic conversations that I was able to take part in through seminars and workshops at Columbia not only took my research in exciting directions but also prompted me to reflect in new ways upon my approach to scholarly practice and its relation to civic engagement. Already, I have applied these lessons to my writing and research – publishing both in scholarly journals and in more accessible forums - and I cannot wait to integrate what I have learnt into my teaching and community involvement in Sydney.
 
The Fulbright enabled me to complete a sustained period of archival research at pertinent U.S. Archives that would otherwise have been impossible. My work took me from the Schomburg Centre in Harlem to the Amistad Centre in New Orleans, from the United Nations archives in New York to the National Archives in Maryland, allowing me to travel throughout America and meet Americans from all walks of life. I have made fantastic friends who have opened my eyes to new ways of thinking about the world & I have been able to share a little bit of what it means to be an Australian.
Sarah paints a mural with other Fulbrighters at the Philadelphia Fulbright Enrichment Seminar for Civic Engagement and the Arts.
Meeting other Fulbright students was also an incredible experience. Through various Enrichment seminars, informal get-togethers and conferences, I met wonderful and inspiring people from all over the world who are working on such amazing projects. If I had to select one word to describe what it means to be a Fulbrighter, I would say ‘passion’. Again and again I was blown away by the enthusiasm and passion that every single Fulbright scholar possesses. Their projects really will change the world and this scholarship gives them the opportunity to translate their dreams into reality.

I feel so honoured to be a part of this international network and I know that I have made friends I will keep for the rest of my life, regardless of where we are in the world. We all come from such different backgrounds and cultures but this Fulbright exchange allows us to see that there is far more to unite us than to divide us.

Sarah Dunstan, 2014 Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar

ED's Update
As the Acting Executive Director of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, it is my sincere pleasure to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those who don’t know me, and to those who do, to welcome our ongoing collaboration.

We’ve created a fresh new look for The Fulbrighter newsletter that I’m sure you’ll enjoy with its concise and easy to read format. With the addition of some innovative technology, we hope to deliver high quality content and regular updates on our various Fulbright activities in an appealing format. 

Our invitations will also be streamlined using a new online delivery system and we will be developing a brand new dynamic format for our Fulbright Scholarship information sessions. These will be coming to each State and Territory during the Roadshow in April and May.

We look forward to showcasing some of the new systems over the coming months, as we engage with all of our Scholars, Alumni and supporters. We hope to see you all during our tour across Australia and key dates can be found below, so be sure to mark your calendars!

Fulbright Scholarship applications for U.S. Postdoctoral, Senior Scholar and Distinguished Chair candidates are now open, and U.S. Postgraduate applications open at the end of this month. The next application round for all Australian candidates will open on May 1, so please let any potential Fulbright candidates know to begin preparations! 

Please feel free to contact the Commission with any feedback you may have, and meanwhile enjoy our feature on PhD candidate, Sarah Dunstan, whose field of study is African-American History.

Dr Ruth Lee Martin
Acting Executive Director

Key Dates
Fulbright Alumni Initiative Grant (FAIG) applications:

1 February - 30 April

Fulbright Scholarship application rounds:

U.S. Postgraduate
31 March - 11 October

U.S. Postdoctoral, Senior Scholar, Distinguished Chair
1 February - 1 August

Australian Candidates (all categories)
1 May - 1 August

2016 Fulbright Roadshow:

QLD (The University of Queensland)
3 May

NT (Charles Darwin University)
5 May

NSW (The University of Sydney)
10 May

VIC (The University of Melbourne)
17 May 

TAS (University of Tasmania)
24 May

ACT (Australian National University)
31 May

SA (Flinders University)
2 June

WA (University of Western Australia)
8 June
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Australian-American Fulbright Commission
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