J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
Seal of the U.S. Department of State | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Parent department | U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs |
| Website | https://eca.state.gov/fulbright/about-fulbright/fulbright-foreign-scholarship-board-ffsb |
The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board was established by the United States Congress for the purpose of supervising the Fulbright Program and certain programs authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act and for the purpose of selecting students, scholars, teachers, trainees, and other persons to participate in the educational exchange programs.
Appointed by the President of the United States, the 12-member Board meets quarterly. The Board establishes worldwide policies and procedures for the Program and issues an annual report on the state of the Program. The Board maintains a close relationship with both the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the executive directors of all the binational Fulbright Commissions.
Current Board
The majority of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned on June 11, 2025, claiming that the Trump administration "usurped the authority of the Board and denied Fulbright awards to a substantial number of individuals who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year." In response, an official from the State Department contended the resignations were nothing "but a political stunt attempting to undermine President Trump."[1]
| Name | Hometown | Occupation | Member since | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmen Estrada-Schaye | Los Angeles | President of Historic Homes Association | 2022 | Only member after June 2025 resignations. |
First board
- Philip Willkie, attorney, Rushville, Indiana
- Francis S. Smyth, dean, Medical School, University of California
- Helen C. White, professor of English, University of Wisconsin
- Martin R. P. McGuire, professor of Greek and Latin, Catholic University of America
- Charles S. Johnson, president, Fisk University
- Frederick L. Hovde, president, Purdue University
- Col. John N. Andrews, personal representative of the administrator of Veterans Affairs
- Walter Johnson, chairman, Department of History, University of Chicago
- Russell L. Riley, director, International Educational Exchange Service
- Samuel M. Brownell, U.S. commissioner of education
- Francis J. Colligan, executive secretary of the Board of Foreign Scholarships
- Donald B. Lourie, undersecretary of state for administration
- J. William Fulbright. U.S. Senator from Arkansas
- Joseph B. Phillips, deputy assistant secretary for public affairs.[3]
Notable past members
- Birch Bayh, former U.S. Senator (D-IN)[4]
- James Costos, former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and Principality of Andorra
- Jen O'Malley Dillon, former political strategist
- David Price, President of the American Institute for Economic Research
- Vinay Reddy, speechwriter
- Louisa Terrell, lawyer
References
- ^ "Board overseeing State Department program resigns in Trump protest". Newsweek. 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "FFSB Members". eca.state.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville: FULBRIGHT PROGRAM EXHIBIT". libraries.uark.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
- ^ "President Clinton Names Birch Bayh to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board". The White House. Archived from the original on October 24, 2011.