Cultural Immersion & Leadership
Costly missteps in modern leadership emerge from an ignorance of the cultures and societies in which business and politics are conducted. Effective leaders for the 21st Century will be men and women who understand the cultural contexts of those with whom they interact.
The Center's plans for exploring the nexus between leadership and cultural immersion will include selected activities or projects such as:
- Producing and distributing an hour-long documentary, "Fulbright The Man, The Mission, And The Message;" (a high school study and discussion guide will accompany this documentary);
- Creating a space on the Center's website where alumni of all exchange and immersion programs can share their current biographies and the manner in which their international education experiences have transformed their lives; this activity will focus on students and teachers who are alumni of the Fulbright Program;
- Developing a state-of-the-art website dedicated to J. William Fulbright's speeches, letters, memoranda, legislation and other documents compiled during his thirty years in the United States Senate;
- Publishing articles and books about how effective leaders employ crosscultural understanding to effect constructive change;
- Promoting the translation and international distribution of otherwise unavailable books and written materials on topics related to the mission of the Fulbright Center.
- Serving as a worldwide resource center and base for current and former students, scholars, and faculty who have studied abroad - providing contact information, facilitating professional alumni associations, and hosting educational forums and symposia;
- Offering life-long learning forums tied to culture, values, leadership and civic responsibility including how to mobilize external and internal resources to organize around community needs, and relate local action to national policies.
The purpose of all the Fulbright Center's programs and activities is to connect people who are interested in sharing significant cultural immersion experiences or participating in institutional collaborations. The Fulbright Center will promote complementary activities offered by related organizations.