August 1, 2016, marks 70 years since the Fulbright Program became law. The University of Arkansas Libraries and Special Collections ask you to join us in celebrating this remarkable anniversary. The Fulbright Association has put together this calendar to help us commemorate the program’s milestones.
Special Collections invites you to visit our website and enjoy a new display of images illustrating the life and career of Senator Fulbright. Raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas, J. William Fulbright was a Rhodes Scholar after graduating from the University of Arkansas, where he also served as a Law Professor and the youngest University President in the U.S. before being elected first to the US House of Representatives in 1942, then to the US Senate where he served with distinction until 1975.
Special Collections has also created a new online guide to help researchers access all of the collections related to the Fulbright Program, including the political and personal papers of Senator Fulbright, the records of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Exchange, and other invaluable archives preserved and made available by the University of Arkansas Libraries. The guide directs users to digital collections published by Special Collections such as “Fulbright Speaks,” as well as numerous related collections.
In the images shared here, first you see Senator Fulbright and Assistant Secretary of State William Benton looking on as President Harry S. Truman signs the Fulbright Act into law, August 1, 1946. From the J. William Fulbright Papers, S86 Box 9 Folder 1, Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries. In the second image, President Kennedy signs the Fulbright-Hays Act at the White House in the presence of House and Senate members, including the co-sponsors of the legislation, Senator Fulbright (left) and Congressman Wayne L. Hays (sixth from left), September 21, 1961. From the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Historical collection (MC468), Box 342, Folder 5.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the Fulbright-Hays Act, which broadened the scope of the educational and cultural programs under the consolidated direction of the U.S. Department of State. The Fulbright Program has one of the most influential education scholarship program in the history of the world. Since 1946, more 310,000 scholars and students have traveled around the world and to the United States to further scholarly studies and build greater cultural understanding.
To learn more about accessing the wealth of collections related to Senator Fulbright and the Fulbright Program, please contact the Special Collections department:
Angela Fritz, Interim Head
Special Collections
University of Arkansas Libraries
365 N. McIlroy Avenue
Fayetteville, AR 72701-4002
Telephone: (479) 575-8447
FAX: (479) 575-6656