AMBASSADOR GALT: Good evening, everyone, and welcome. Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Fulbright program.
Founded in 1946 by U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright, the Fulbright program was established to promote peace and enhance mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills.
This competitive, merit-based scholarship program is the U.S. government’s flagship academic exchange program, awarding nearly 8,000 fellowships annually in over 160 countries.
We are proud to be celebrating the 70th anniversary of this exceptional program.
The Fulbright program in Mongolia dates back to 1994 when one Mongolian scholar traveled to the U.S.; the first American scholars to Mongolia arrived in 2004.
Thanks to generous funding provided by the Government of Mongolia beginning in 2010, the program has grown rapidly – today 39 Mongolian and American students, scholars and lecturers travel and study each year under the auspices of the Fulbright program.
The Government of Mongolia’s contribution represents a strong commitment to, and investment in, the future of Mongolia.
We commend the Government of Mongolia’s sustained interest and investment in the Fulbright program, and look forward to continuing our cooperation in the years to come.
The Fulbright program has contributed to advancing Mongolia’s democracy and economic reforms over the past 23 years.
Alumni of the Fulbright program in Mongolia – who are part of a global network of more than 370,000 alumni worldwide – are highly accomplished and serve in positions of responsibility in government, academia and civil society.
They are among Mongolia’s best and brightest and have brought back to Mongolia new-found knowledge and skills from their exchange experiences in the United States.
Tonight we have the privilege of hearing from three distinguished alumni of the Fulbright program – Mr. Enkh-Amgalan Sengee, Ms. Munkhmandakh Myagmar, and Ms. Laura Goodman.
I hope you’ll all also been following our Fulbright alumni on Facebook and Twitter throughout this week – they are an impressive group and we are very proud of their contributions to U.S.-Mongolia mutual understanding and to the development of Mongolia’s democracy and society.
Please also enjoy the video on the Fulbright program and the infographic – thanks to my Public Affairs team for putting together these informative materials for your enjoyment.
And now, over to our alumni. Enjoy the evening. Thank you.
