Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Latest News & Highlights >> Weekly Highlights from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Participants arrive in for the first Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) U.S. Business Internship Program for Young Middle Eastern Women; Partnerships for Learning Youth Exchange and Study (P4L YES) students meet with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell; CultureConnect Envoys for Sports engage with youth in Bosnia, Romania, Albania and Turkey, and more. Read ECA Program Highlights for August 20 [469 KB PDF | Download PDF Reader] or Read past highlights. >> Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Harrison Testifies Before the House International Relations Committee and Before the House Committee on Government Reform: Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations "The foundation of our public diplomacy strategy is to engage, inform and influence foreign publics in order to increase understanding for American values, policies and initiatives. ...At the same time, we are working to increase mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and those of other countries." More >> Appointment of Lisa Guillermin Gable as U.S. Commissioner General of Section of the United States Exhibition to the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan Lisa Guillermin Gable has been named as U.S. Commissioner General of Section of the United States Exhibition to the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan. She will serve as head of U.S. participation in the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan and is responsible for oversight of the U.S. Pavilion and is the official U.S. Government representative to the Government of Japan on issues relating to the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan. She was sworn in on August 9, 2004. More >> State Department Welcomes Middle Eastern Women to U.S. For Business Internship Program Forty-two women from the Middle East have arrived in Washington, D.C. to participate in the first Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) U.S. Business Internship Program for Young Middle Eastern Women. The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs’ MEPI office, in partnership with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, created the program to provide the women, ages 22-30, with unique opportunities to study U.S. business culture and society and to learn management and business skills while working in a U.S. business environment. More >> U.S. Department of State Names Daniel Libeskind First Cultural Ambassador for Architecture Internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind (left) has been appointed the U.S. Department of State's first Cultural Ambassador for Architecture under the U.S. Department of State's CultureConnect initiative - a program designed to increase understanding among young people around the world. As Cultural Ambassador, Mr. Libeskind recently traveled to Tunisia where he met with young architects, university students and professors. More

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) fosters mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through international educational and training programs. The bureau does so by promoting personal, professional, and institutional ties between private citizens and organizations in the United States and abroad, as well as by presenting U.S. history, society, art and culture in all of its diversity to overseas audiences.

The Fulbright Program provides grants for Graduate Students, Scholars and Professionals, and Teachers and Administrators. This site includes Fulbright Commissions and other information on the program.

EducationUSA promotes U.S. higher education abroad, supports overseas advising centers, collaborates with U.S. educational organizations to strengthen international exchange, and manages the Gilman study abroad scholarship program.

The Office of English Language Programs creates and implements high quality, targeted English language programs overseas to promote mutual understanding between the United States and other countries. Staff, including overseas-based Regional English Language Officers, plan, conduct and support programs sponsored by American Embassies and Consulates.

Programs for Eurasia and Southeast Europe include activities involving individual fellowships or institutional linkages.

Requests for Grant Proposals announce the latest bureau funding opportunities for academic, and non-profit institutions seeking exchanges and training grants.

The Humphrey Fellowships bring mid-level professionals from developing countries to the United States for a year of academic study and professional experiences.

Study of the U.S. promotes better understanding of the U.S. through Summer Institutes for foreign university faculty. This site also contains an extensive number of links to on-line American Studies resources.

Educational Partnerships Program supports educational linkages between U.S. and foreign post-secondary institutions through faculty and staff exchanges on themes of mutual interest.

The International Visitor Leadership Program brings participants to the U.S. to meet and confer with professional counterparts and to experience firsthand the U.S. and its institutions.

The Office of Citizen Exchanges develops professional, cultural and youth programs with nonprofit American institutions, including voluntary community organizations, professional associations, and universities. Thematic categories for grants include civil society, NGO development, civic education, media development, judicial training, intellectual property rights, and public administration among other themes. The office has three geographic divisions — Europe/Eurasia; Near East, South Asia and Africa; and Western Hemisphere and East Asia — as well as divisions for youth and cultural, including ECA's CultureConnect web site.

International Cultural Property Protection represents U.S. responsibilities in protecting the cultural patrimony of other countries.

The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, established by Congress for the fiscal year 2001, aims to assist less developed countries in preserving their cultural heritage and to demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures.

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