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Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Dina Habib Powell Addresses the Opening Plenary Session of the European Fulbright Commission Executive Directors Conference in Paris

October 23, 2006
Remarks as prepared for delivery.

Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, for that very kind introduction.

I am honored to be here with all you in Paris, and to speak today in such excellent company. And it is a special joy to be here with the outstanding U.S. Ambassador to France, Ambassador Craig Roberts Stapleton. He is the Honorary Co- President of the Franco-American Fulbright Commission, and a strong supporter of the Fulbright Program and other exchanges between France and the United States.

I first met Ambassador Stapleton when I worked in the White House, and I am privileged to call him a friend. He was a superb representative of the United States as the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, with a strong commitment to cultural and educational programs, so much so that I knew the President would not allow him to return to private life.

Ambassador Stapleton's wife, Debbie Stapleton, is an extremely valuable partner who shares the Ambassador's commitment and is especially dedicated to supporting the U.S. embassy team and their families here, as she also did in Prague. Ambassador and Mrs. Stapleton just celebrated their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. Like Fulbright, theirs is a very special enduring partnership.

I can assure you from personal experience that the President of the United States is a strong supporter of the Fulbright Program. Before joining the Department of State, I was the Director of Presidential Personnel at the White House. I had the privilege of working closely with the President as he selected men and women to serve in important positions in the U.S. government. He has personally chosen individuals to serve on the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board who are outstanding leaders in their professions and in their communities-individuals whose character and vision he knew first hand.

That is why we are so fortunate that the President's friends Jean Becker and Yousif Ghafari who are with us today accepted his request that they serve as Fulbright Board members. Jean is the chief of staff to former President Bush. I had the privilege of serving with Mr. Ghafari on a delegation that the President sent us on just recently to Lebanon to help the Lebanese people build a bright future. Yousif, as a proud son of Lebanon, who is now one of the most successful businessmen in the U.S., was received with such pride and he is now creating public private partnerships with American and Lebanese companies to create economic and educational opportunities.

The First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush, as a former educator and librarian, is also very committed to the Fulbright Program. She has included Fulbrighters in major international events to give a student perspective, such as at the G-8 meetings at Sea Island; she has invited Fulbrighters to the White House; and she has participated in many Fulbright events overseas such as Argentina's Fulbright 50th anniversary.

I am also delighted to be here with Arnaud Roujou de Boubee, Executive Director of the French Fulbright Commission, and with Antoine Grassin, Director for Scientific and University Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and current President of the Fulbright Commission.

The governments of France and the United States have always recognized the value of educational and cultural exchanges. I am committed to supporting the further strengthening of our exchange relationship, as we work to improve understanding and opportunity for our young people and for the world at large.

It is a privilege to join with you, the organizers of this regional meeting, the dedicated group of Fulbright Executive Directors from Europe, and the Fulbright Office Directors from Russia and Ukraine. I particularly want to thank Arnaud and his staff here in Paris for their hard work on this event. We are thrilled by the participation of so many Public Affairs Officers and Cultural Affairs Officers, because your work is also essential to this effort.

I believe strongly, both as a representative of the U.S. government and on a personal level, that the Fulbright Program is not only vital, it is central, to the relationship between the United States and the nations of Europe. It is a living testimony, renewed in every generation, of our mutual respect, of our mutual appreciation, and our ability to work together as partners to face the challenges of our time.

I also believe that the task facing us now is to invigorate our commitment to the future of Fulbright for the next generation.

As Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, as well as Deputy Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, I see clearly every day the critical importance of values in the world-the values that President Bush calls "the non-negotiable demands of human dignity"-and how our interactions, our linkages and our policies must all be infused with these values.

Fulbright is one of the most effective means we Europeans and Americans have to share our fundamental values, our best scholarship, the spirit of open inquiry, freedom and opportunity, and an all-encompassing sense of humanity.

Our partnership in Fulbright with the nations of Europe has been and remains today one of the richest and most vital arenas for Fulbright. Thirty-five Fulbrighters from Europe and other world regions, as well as the United States, are Nobel Laureates-scientists, economists, writers, activists. Just this month, the Nobel Committee selected Fulbright alumnus Mohammad Yunus of Bangladesh to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to lift people out of poverty through microcredit lending, primarily to poor women to help support their families. Fulbright alumni have made contributions to a better world in all walks of life.

Since I became Assistant Secretary a year and a half ago, I have had the privilege of making two trips to Europe, and both have been for Fulbright. Last November, I traveled to the ancient and lovely city of Toledo in Spain for a critically important program to help us reach new audiences through Fulbright. A number of you were there, including, of course, Maria Jesus Pablos, the Commission Director in Spain. We continue to build on the success of the Toledo event, and thank you for dedication to that effort.

When I stood on the podium in Toledo, with our Ambassador to Spain, Eduardo Aguirre, I was struck, as some of you heard me say at the time, that we were both from immigrant families. Like Ambassador Aguirre, who is originally from Cuba, I am an American not by birth, but by choice. I was born in Egypt, and my family chose to leave their homeland in search of the opportunities that only democracy can offer. Both our families instilled in us a love for freedom, respect for hard work, and a desire to give back.

But desire and a willingness to work is only one side of the coin. As you all know, there must also be opportunity for the next generation-to learn, to work, to participate.

I came to the United States as a young girl who didn't speak a word of English. It is thanks to my parents' commitment to education for their children, and the opportunities available to me in the U.S., that I was able to pursue my dreams.

I make this point because my own personal story has convinced me that inclusiveness, opportunity, and diversity are among the characteristics that contribute the most to strengthening our societies, which means they are also key for the Fulbright Program.

My parents couldn't believe that their daughter was entrusted with the opportunity to work for the President of their adopted country. Now, I am honored to work for Secretary of State Rice, running the Bureau that manages U.S. government educational and cultural exchanges, including the flagship Fulbright Program.

We are all honored to be part of the vital and transformative Fulbright Program. Everyone in this room can agree that Fulbright has had a rich history of achievement. But as we come together in this auspicious setting, with this distinguished and committed group, we must ask ourselves-what are our hopes for the Fulbright of today, and the Fulbright of tomorrow, as we face challenges around the world?

To do this we need to first look at the history of Fulbright:

In the late 1940s, the Soviet Union was consolidating its hold on the nations of Eastern Europe. It was in 1946 that Winston Churchill spoke in Fulton, Missouri, about the "Iron Curtain."

But the seeds of a better future were also planted at this time.

In 1946, the United Nations General Assembly met for first time in New York City. In 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall outlined the Marshall Plan. In 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization came into being.

And, of course, one of the most promising developments of that time was the establishment of the Fulbright program. Senator J. William Fulbright introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate in 1945 and President Harry Truman signed the bill into law on August 1, 1946. With that stroke of the pen, one of the noblest efforts to create peace and understanding in the world was born.

Fulbright became a major tool for the development of responsible leadership and international cooperation at that critical time in history. Now we face other challenges, in which our most cherished values are at risk.

September 11 was a day that that I and no American will ever forget. But we know that this story didn't only happen in our country. Many European and other nations have had their own "September 11"-when terrorists struck in Madrid, London, and Istanbul and many other cities around the world. We all know that we must stand together against extremists who want to take away our way of life and the future we want for our children.

As we confront this defining ideological struggle, we must use all the resources at our disposal, and I believe that Fulbright is one of our most vital assets. To counter the forces of alienation, violence, and extremism, Fulbright offers a community of reason, understanding, and inclusion. An educated mind is an open mind.

This is the great opportunity and requirement of our time--to use the power of Fulbright in the cause of civilization.

Since Toledo, so many of you have moved forward with important new initiatives to meet this challenge, and I want to thank and commend all of you for your efforts- especially our Fulbright partners from Toledo, in the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and other countries.

We in ECA also have been busy since I saw some of you in Toledo. As you know, in January, Secretary of State Rice and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings co-hosted the first-ever summit on international education at the Department of State. At the summit, President Bush outlined his vision for a National Security Language Initiative to enable many more Americans to communicate effectively with people around the world.

At the Summit, we engaged over 120 leaders of the U.S. higher education system in the United States in a renewed partnership to strengthen international education. We talked about how to attract more foreign students and scholars to the United States and encourage more Americans to study abroad. And my Bureau has launched several new initiatives to work towards that goal.

It quickly became clear from talking with the university presidents that we need to work more closely together, in the fields of science and technology. With consensus on this broad principle, we looked for the right vehicle. We found it in Fulbright-a sixty year old Program with a superb reputation, that is also agile enough to respond to the complexities of today's world.

And so we created the International Fulbright Science and Technology Award, which will bring outstanding students from around the world to the U.S. to study for Ph.D.'s in science and technology. The Board of Foreign Scholarships has just approved the selection of candidates, and we are ecstatic about the quality of nominees -- thanks to the recruitment efforts of many in this room -- and the rich diversity of those selected in terms of national origin, topic fields, and gender. Of course, there is a strong contingent from the nations of Europe. We will be announcing all their names this week.

The flexible structure of the Fulbright Program -- unique in each country where it operates -- allows us to reach out to new audiences while maintaining the high academic standards of the program. Key to all of these efforts is the concept and practice of binationalism - the true, active, two-way interaction that lies at the core of all we do.

Another important Fulbright effort is the New Century Scholars program of collaborative research among leading scholars on a topic of importance to the world community, and I look forward to learning more about the results of this year's Program at our meeting tomorrow at UNESCO.

In Europe, such Fulbright alumni as Javier Solana, Umberto Eco, and in France, Jacques Derrida, and American alumna Ursula LeGuin, stand as defining figures of achievement and leaders and contributors in their fields.

A recent Polish Fulbright alumnus, Dariusz Jemielniak, exemplifies the Fulbright commitment to excellence and service.

Following his studies at Cornell University, he returned to Poland and became an as assistant professor of management in Warsaw. But he is also working nationally and locally to improve skills and opportunities among young people, especially in rural areas. He volunteers with a foundation that helps English teachers in small towns across Poland. The Nida Foundation has trained more than a thousand teachers over the past several years and now organizes national meetings for teachers of English as a Second Language, so that they are better able to prepare the youth of Poland for the global economy.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Andrew Levine, from South Carolina, whose class I will visit later today in suburban Paris, is sharing his knowledge and expanding opportunities for young people at the French high school where he teaches. But he is also being transformed through the power of this exchange, learning from the French people about France. When he returns home to the United States, he will also share his increased knowledge of a great society and its culture with Americans.

I mention these examples because I continue to be moved by each and every individual Fulbright story. Fulbrighters are individuals who make a difference. In important deliberations in my country and in yours, in scientific breakthroughs and artistic achievements, in international organizations and grassroots associations, we see the imprint and impact of Fulbright participants.

In closing, perhaps the most important point I want to stress is that we cannot do this work without you-partner governments, Fulbright commissions, and dedicated public servants in the countries you represent and where you serve. I am truly grateful for all your efforts-your passion for these programs, your dedication, and the conviction you share about the importance of developing the young leaders of tomorrow, in all our countries. If we continue to work together, one day it will be written that together we invigorated this amazing program to meet the unique challenges of our time.

I know I will be proud as we share this story with future generations, that together we worked to defeat extremism and fanaticism using tolerance and hope. These values are embodied in the Fulbright mission, and in the national interests of our countries.

In serving them, we also serve the interests of the world. We will look back and be proud that we worked together-individuals, institutions, societies and governments-to accomplish that goal.

Thank you.

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