Hungarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange Hungarian Fulbright Association H-1146 Budapest, Ajtósi Dürer sor 19 - 21. Phone: +361-462-8040 Fax: +361-252-0266 E-Mail: hbruckner@fulbright.ph.hu mathe@axelero.hu Budapest, January 2, 2002 Dear Friend of the Fulbright Program, Ten years ago, as the first of its kind in the region, the Hungarian Fulbright Commission was set up to secure the efficient management of the Fulbright Exchange program. Similarly, the Fulbright Alumni Association, wishing to maintain contact and friendship among former grantees, may now look back on a history of a whole decade. To celebrate this Anniversary, we are glad to announce a conference, with some further cultural activities. We cordially invite you to these events, and we are looking forward to your participation. The title of the conference is Fulbright - Challenges and Responses and it will be held at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Budapest V., Roosevelt tér 9.) on April 24 - 25, 2002. We propose that conference presentations should underline the significance of international educational and research exchange programs in general, and the role of the Fulbright program in particular, in the political, scientific, educational and economic life of Hungary. Contributions are to represent results and experiences gained through teaching, research, or through artistic activities sponsored partly or entirely by the Fulbright program. We also encourage topics concerning the tasks and the mission of the Fulbright- and other exchange- programs, so that we may give adequate responses to the challenges of the future. Thus, we are planning a conference of one and a half days, starting on April 24, 2002, at 10:00 a.m. There will be two parallel sections, each covering related topics. In the evening of the 24th, a concert will be given by some of our former grantees, followed by a reception. We will have lunch together on the 25th, and this will mark the closing of the conference. We hope that most of our former American and Hungarian grantees will attend the conference and we also hope to welcome the leaders of the Fulbright program at the State Department, as well as at the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. We would also like to welcome representatives of Fulbright Commissions and of Alumni Associations from various other countries. With the help of our former grantees and alumni, we are planning a small exhibition as well. We wish to exhibit material related to the history of the Fulbright program in Hungary, as well as to the "Fulbright experience" our grantees had in the United States, including itineraries, personal souvenirs, publications prepared with the help of the Fulbright Program, and anything else our former grantees would like to show and share with others. If you wish to participate, you are kindly requested to fill in the enclosed Registration Sheet and send it back to our address by February 15, 2002. (The Registration Sheet can also be downloaded at http://www.fulbright.hu). You are also encouraged to contribute with a presentation of 15 minutes, including discussion. The electronic or hard copy of your abstract (approx. 1 page of A/4) should also reach the Hungarian Fulbright Commission by February 15, 2002. As we are trying to contact all American and Hungarian Grantees of the past ten years we would appreciate your help in forwarding this information to any of your fellow Fulbrighters that you are in contact with. Also, we would like to update our records therefore we kindly ask you to send us your current contact information (home address, telephone, e-mail, institutional address, position, telephone, fax and e-mail, preferred mailing address, if any, etc.) even if you do not plan to attend the anniversary conference. On behalf of the organizers, we wish you a happy New Year, and we hope to see you at the conference. Yours very sincerely, Dr. Ákos Máthé Dr. Huba Brückner President Executive Director Hungarian Fulbright Association Hungarian Fulbright Commission