(Washington) The board of directors of the prestigious Fulbright school scholarships, which benefited tens of thousands of American and foreign students, his resignation announced on Wednesday to protest what he describes as interference from the United States government.
The twelve members of this council, appointed by successive American presidents, expressed, in a press release, their concern about “the injection of policy and ideology” in a historically non -partisan program.
They denounce in particular the fact that the administration of President Donald Trump opposed the allocation of scholarships to people already selected for the academic year 2025-2026.
“The administration currently subjects 1,200 Fulbright Fulbright, an additional foreign process to an unauthorized review process,” they said.
“We believe that these actions are not only contrary to the law, but also of the Fulbright mission and the values, including freedom of expression and academic freedom, which the congress specified in its law” of 1961, according to the press release which evokes the fact that “integrity” of Fulbright is thus implicated.
The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship, named after a former senator William Fulbright, is a prestigious exchange and scholarship program for foreign students in the United States and American abroad.
This program, launched in 1946 “to promote international understanding”, is a flagship of the cultural influence of the United States in the world.
More than 315,000 students have benefited since its creation in more than a hundred countries, according to official statistics.
Since his return to power in January, Donald Trump has ended the American Agency for Aid for International Development (USAID), has attacked the prestigious universities of Harvard and Columbia, accused of propagating left-wing ideas and anti-Semitism, and revoked hundreds of visas of foreign students in the United States.
He also attacked the fight against diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI) to renowned cultural institutions, the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian museums in Washington.
