Islamabad – The 12th Annual Fulbright and Humphrey Alumni Conference in Islamabad was attended by more than 200 alumni who were welcomed by American Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale and Rector of National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Engineer Muhammad Asghar.
The conference was organized by the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) and hosted by the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).
“The United States is deeply committed to our relationship with Pakistan and we demonstrate this by making investments in Pakistan that foster its prosperity and the welfare of Pakistani society,” Ambassador Hale said. “The Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowship exchanges contribute to increased mutual understanding between America and Pakistan.”
The conference, held from December 4-6, 2015, consists of a series of twelve seminars with round table discussions chaired by various scholars, Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowship alumni, and special guest speakers from the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan and the Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs in Washington, D.C.
USEFP was established in 1950 by the governments of Pakistan and the United States. USEFP is a binational commission that promotes increased academic and professional exchange between the United States and Pakistan. The Fulbright program in Pakistan receives the largest amount of U.S. government funding world-wide. Nearly 4,000 Pakistanis alumni have participated in the Fulbright program and 200 in the Humphrey Fellowship.
The Fulbright program was named after the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright and funds study and research to “promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world.” The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program honors the memory and accomplishments of the late Senator and Vice President by bringing accomplished mid-career professionals with demonstrated leadership potential to the United States for a year of graduate-level, non-degree academic coursework and professional development activities.
The United States invests $40 million annually on exchange programs for Pakistani citizens and sends more than 1,300 Pakistanis to the United States each year to participate in academic and professional programs.