A bipartisan resolution introduced in the United States Senate to mark the Fulbright Program’s 80th anniversary has recognised the enduring global impact of one of the world’s most successful international exchange programs – one that has connected more than 6,000 Australians and Americans since 1949.
The United States Senate has introduced a bipartisan resolution recognising the 80th anniversary of the Fulbright Program, celebrating eight decades of international educational exchange and reaffirming the Program’s enduring importance to diplomacy, research and global cooperation.
Introduced by U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), the resolution marks the establishment of the Fulbright Program by Senator J. William Fulbright on 1 August 1946. It acknowledges the Program’s profound impact in promoting mutual understanding between nations and preparing generations of leaders through education and cultural exchange.
“For eighty years, the Fulbright Program has shown that some of America’s strongest partnerships begin when people come together across cultures in pursuit of knowledge… Fulbright has sparked discoveries, forged lifelong friendships, and prepared generations of leaders with the empathy to see the world through another’s eyes.
This resolution honors the profound impact of the Fulbright Program and its enduring legacy of strengthening American leadership through education, service, and the belief that our common humanity is greater than the borders that divide us.”
– Sen. Cory Booker
Now operating in more than 160 countries, the Fulbright Program is widely regarded as the world’s premier international scholarship and exchange program. Over the past 80 years, it has connected hundreds of thousands of students, scholars, researchers, teachers and professionals across borders, fostering collaborations that have advanced scientific discovery, informed public policy and strengthened international relationships.
The resolution also highlights the extraordinary achievements of Fulbright alumni, whose ranks include 63 Nobel Prize laureates, 94 Pulitzer Prize recipients, 44 heads of state or government, 17 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, members of the United States Congress, international leaders and an astronaut who walked on the Moon.
For Australia, the milestone carries particular significance. Since the establishment of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission in 1949, more than 6,000 Australians and Americans have participated in Fulbright exchanges between the two countries. Their contributions span every discipline, from medical research and engineering to the arts, public policy, education and environmental science, and continue to strengthen the enduring partnership between Australia and the United States.
Throughout 2026, Fulbright Australia is celebrating the Program’s 80th anniversary under the theme Ideas That Change Nations. The Senate’s bipartisan resolution serves as a powerful reminder that Senator Fulbright’s vision remains as relevant today as it was eight decades ago: that educational exchange has the power to build understanding, foster innovation and create lasting connections between nations.
The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered around the world through a network of binational commissions, foundations and U.S. embassies, including the Australian-American Fulbright Commission.
Read the full bipartisan Senate resolution: https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2026/7/boozman-booker-cotton-shaheen-lead-resolution-honoring-fulbright-program-s-80th-anniversary
