Established in 1946 by Senator J.William Fulbright, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s most prestigious international educational exchange program designed to promote “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world.” The Fulbright Program includes a number of different exchange programs for students, academics and professionals in order to conduct a variety of different educational activities.
OBJECTIVES:
The central objective of the Cyprus Fulbright Commission continues to be the promotion of mutual understanding and respect between the peoples of the United States of America and Cyprus by developing better cooperation and communication between the two countries through educational, academic, professional and cultural exchange.
The Cyprus Fulbright Commission administers a program that serves the academic, educational and professional communities of Cyprus and the United States, through the exchange of scholars, educators and students. The program is based on priority needs and mutual benefit and is designed to be responsive to the needs of the communities involved. The Commission also has a goal of fostering the long-term support of institutions and individuals for a program emphasizing cooperation and understanding that will lead to true bi-nationalism.
The Fulbright Commission will continue to emphasize academic and scholastic excellence in the selection process. The open competition, through which grants are awarded, ensures the selection of the most capable and promising individuals who will ensure a multiplier effect in the dissemination and implementation of knowledge and experience gained through the program.
The programs that the Cyprus Fulbright Commission administers fall under either Fulbright or CASP (more information below).
PROGRAMS
Fulbright Program:
The Traditional Fulbright Program continues to be the backbone of the Cyprus Fulbright Commission. This is a program to which both the United States Government and the Government of Cyprus make significant contributions. Under this program, graduate grants are awarded directly by the Commission. Grantees secure their own placement. The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the sponsoring organization that supervises students while they are in the U.S.
Cyprus-America Scholarship Program (CASP):
Established in 1981, under a bilateral agreement between the Government of Cyprus and the Government of the United States, the CASP is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The program is administered in Cyprus by the Cyprus Fulbright Commission. The America-Mideast Educational and Training Services (AMIDEAST) is subcontracted by the Fulbright Commission to undertake the U.S.-based portion of the program.
