Susan Stewart, Director of The Open University in Scotland, has been appointed as one of fourteen Fulbright Commissioners.
The Fulbright Commission was instituted in 1948 by a treaty between the UK and USA governments and was the brainchild of US Senator J William Fulbright. After World War Two, Fulbright's aim was to promote peace between nations by encouraging the exchange of students and academics in order to better understand different cultures.
These days, the Fulbright Commission takes a broader approach, with artists and scientists, filmmakers and mathematicians, actors and doctors, and people from all sorts of walks of life participating.
The Commission itself is made up fourteen commissioners, appointed by the US, UK and Scottish governments. The Scottish Government appoints one commissioner and following the retirement of Dame Seona Reid has chosen Susan as her replacement.
Earlier in her career, Susan was the First Secretary for Scottish Affairs at the UK Embassy in Washington DC - effectively the Scottish Government's first diplomat in the USA.
Commenting on her appointment, Susan said:
"I am delighted to have this opportunity to play a part in ensuring the Fulbright exchanges continue to grow and am particularly focused on our work with the Sutton Trust.
"As a twenty year old and the first in my family to attend university, I was hugely fortunate to receive an exchange scholarship to study for a year in Canada and, a couple of years later, to undertake a master's degree in the US.
"I know how these experiences change lives, and I strongly believe that Scottish and UK universities are a uniquely important asset in cultural diplomacy."
Susan's term as a commissioner is initially for four years, 2018-2022. You can learn more about the Fulbright programme at www.fulbright.org.uk.
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