Universidad de Alcalá receives American Fulbright grant recipients for the fourth consecutive year
Through the close collaboration between the Fulbright Commission and the Instituto Franklin-UAH as two North American entities, the Universidad de Alcalá hosted 207 American Fulbright grant recipients in their orientation sessions between September 11th and 14th. These grant holders will perform the functions of university teachers, predoctoral researchers, master's students and conversation assistants during the 2023-2024 academic year in Spain and Andorra.
The conference was attended by the Rector of the Universidad Alcalá, José Vicente Saz, the United States Ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso, and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
The main goal of the orientation program is to give the grant recipients a series of guidelines to ease their acclimatization to Spanish culture. Logistical aspects such as finding accommodation, banks, bureaucratic procedures, etc. will be discussed, as well as adaptation to cultural or social aspects to which they may not be accustomed in their country. They are also offered opportunities to develop social and volunteer tasks as an additional project to their scholarship.
The grant recipients will spend their stay in different regions of Spain and Andorra and will carry out their study and research projects in different areas, with scholarships for English conversation assistants, predoctoral research stays, scholarship holders who will carry out Master's studies, or professors and researchers. Americans with extensive experience in their academic discipline.
The Fulbright Program in the world
The Fulbright Program is the most prestigious of all exchange scholarship programs in the world at the graduate level. It takes place between the United States and more than 160 countries and seeks to foster mutual understanding of nations through cultural, educational and scientific exchange between people. Since its creation in 1946 by U.S. Senator James W. Fulbright, the program has awarded exchange scholarships to more than 400,000 people.
In recognition of its international character and its commitment to promoting the values of cooperation and understanding, the Fulbright Program was recognized with the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 2014.
The Fulbright Program in Spain
Since 1958, the governments of the United States and Spain have trusted this program to facilitate cultural, educational and scientific exchanges between the two countries, with contrasting and notable results.
Citizens who have had the opportunity to enjoy a Fulbright scholarship have contributed to the economic, scientific and cultural development of both societies, building personal and professional bridges that last over time and build stable collaboration structures that promote tolerance and understanding. mutual between the two countries.
The Fulbright Commission administers scholarships in Spain, from which more than 10,000 people have benefited – 5,936 Spanish scholarship recipients and 4,117 Americans –, many of whom today are prominent members of society with recognized professional prestige.
The Commission is binational, governed by representatives of the two countries and co-chaired by senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation and the United States Embassy in Spain and Andorra. It is financed with funds allocated each year by both governments and also has the support of several ministries, regional governments, universities and large companies.