AMBASSADOR'S OUTREACH 

Ambassador Foley addresses a group at an art exhibit to celebrate 50 years of the Fulbright Program in Ireland

 Minister Lenihan and distinguished guests, thank you for having me here to open this show.  This gathering gives me the opportunity to talk about two of my favorite subjects—educational exchange and the arts.

Ambassador Foley and Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs Colleen Graffy.

Senator Fulbright’s idea for what became the Fulbright program was spawned as he reflected on the terrible cost of World War II. Senator Fulbright focused on lack of communication and understanding as major contributors to the events leading up to the onset of World War II.  Fulbright felt a broad-based educational exchange program would address these challenges and introduced legislation in 1946 which led to the establishment of the Fulbright Program.

The Fulbright program is now the largest educational exchange program in the world providing more than 5,000 students a year the opportunity to study in the U.S. or for U.S. students to study abroad.

So what makes Fulbright and other educational exchange programs so successful?  First and foremost, I think programs like Fulbright tend to select not only bright and motivated young people, but people who are curious, expansive, interested in learning and willing to take risks.

These also happen to be the essential characteristics of high achievers and leaders.  So, it isn’t because of Fulbright that the program’s alumni are successful and distinguished, but rather it is because of who they are that they qualified for and chose to be part of the Fulbright program.

So, which is this program so important?  It is important because it does exactly what Senator Fulbright hoped it would.  It exposes participants to the thinking, culture, and points of view of another country.  It provides a foundation for building sustained friendships and other contacts in another country.  And, it increases familiarity and, therefore, comfort with another country and its people.  All these factors reduce misperceptions and foster understanding and communication.  And, in the case of the Fulbright program, many alumni go on to distinguished positions and become opinion-leaders, so the perspective, familiarity, and contacts acquired by these Fulbrighters spread to many others as well.

The Fulbright program actually works like a big, international school integration program that applies its goals to relatively few, but very influential, people.  American has also benefited from a different dink of school integration program in the 60’s and 70’s to achieve the same benefits of enhanced communication and understanding between different ethnic and religious communities.  The overwhelming message from these experiences is that educational exchange programs really work.

Now let me turn to art—another favorite subject.  Art and artists are wonderful and enhance our lives.  Artists are passionate and their work involves expression and communication.  Art and artists bring people together in dialogues and endeavors that transcend ethnic, religious, and national boundaries.  And so art, too, contributes to communication, understanding, and identification of common interests.

So tonight we have a “two-for” for improved communication and understanding between the U.S. and Ireland—50 years of Fulbright in Ireland and Fulbright alumni art.

If you need anymore proof that Fulbright and art bring people together in productive ways look at the distinguished crowd that has gathered here tonight to talk about, understand, and enjoy these impressive works of art.

Enjoy the evening and thank you very much for coming.