On March 7, in Warsaw, a celebration took place marking the 60th anniversary of the Fulbright Program in Poland. Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher addressed the event organized by the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission, highlighting the program's role in enhancing "people-to-people relations" between Poland and the United States. She expressed gratitude to the Polish government for its ongoing support and funding of the $2.4 million annual program, which facilitates exchanges of around 100 scholars between academic institutions in both countries.
The Ambassador emphasized that “the Fulbright program in Poland is all about investment in the careers of brilliant people and young scholars who will be the next leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs.” A message from U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo was read by Public Affairs Counselor Frank Finver, praising the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Program as “a model for Fulbright programs around the world.”
The event also featured speeches from Marek Konarzewski from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sebastian Skuza from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and Prof. Juanita Villena-Alvarez from South Carolina's University of Beaufort discussing “Why Polish Academia Can Be Attractive to American Students.” The celebration continued with a performance by 12 members of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Jazz Ambassadors Band.
Additionally, this gathering marked the start of a conference titled “Direct to Internationalization: How to Attract American Students to Polish Universities,” co-organized by NAWA and supported by funding from various entities including the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The Fulbright Program is known globally as a prestigious exchange initiative created by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946 to foster mutual understanding through educational exchanges. It has engaged over 380,000 participants worldwide since its inception across more than 160 countries. In Poland alone, over 4,000 individuals have benefited since it began offering scholarships there in 1959.
Fulbright alumni are noted for their achievements across multiple sectors such as government, arts and science, business, philanthropy, education, and sports. Globally recognized accolades among alumni include 59 Nobel Prizes and 84 Pulitzer Prizes with several serving as heads of state or government.