Advancing U.S.-Brazil Research Collaboration and Academic Exchanges

Posted by Ann Stock / April 17, 2012

About the Author: Ann Stock serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Greetings from Brasilia!

Yesterday's Global Partnership Dialogue marked the culmination of a great deal of work by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), as well as many other parts of the State Department.

My day was centered on meetings of the Education Working Group, which I led alongside Minister George Torquato Firmeza, the Director of the Cultural Division at Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We were both excited to discuss new and developing avenues of cooperation and encouraged by the progress our delegations made.

People-to-people exchange programs dominated the Education Working Group conversation. President Obama and President Rousseff have made academic and research collaboration a priority between the… more »

The New Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at Work

Posted by Kathryn Nash / April 16, 2012

About the Author: Kathryn Nash serves as a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.

On April 17, the first-ever Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO), Rick Barton, will discuss how the bureau is working to prevent violent conflict and respond when crises do break out. You can join him for a live chat on the Department of State's Facebook page from 2:00-2:30 p.m. (EDT).

The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) helps countries and people find the road away from conflict and toward peace. Over the last two decades, the United States has found itself increasingly involved in, and affected by, weak or failed states. The interconnected nature of today's world makes instability and conflict, even… more »

Fulbright in Action: Enrichment Seminars Engage Students on Democracy

Posted by Ann Stock / April 16, 2012

About the Author: Ann Stock serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Fulbright Program is perhaps best-known for the one-of-a-kind international experience it offers participants. But for foreign students in the United States, the classroom is only one piece of the program. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs hosts an annual series of enrichment seminars for groups of first-year Fulbright foreign students.

This academic year's seminars on "U.S. Politics and Elections: Democracy in Action" have provided more than 1,200 Fulbrighters the opportunity to learn more about our country. The seminars have… more »

Travel Diary: President Obama, Secretary Clinton Attend the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Colombia

Posted by DipNote Bloggers / April 15, 2012

More: Trip Page | Interactive Travel Map | White House Blog -- President Obama at the Summit of the Americas

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton accompanied President Barack Obama for the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia from April 13-15. There, the U.S. delegation met with democratically-elected heads of state and government from throughout the Hemisphere to strengthen ties, expand… more »

Fulbright and Academic Exchange Programs in China

Posted by Marianne Craven / April 14, 2012

About the Author: Marianne Craven serves as Managing Director of Academic Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

Last month, I traveled to Beijing and Xi'an with Matt McMahon, the Fulbright Chief for East Asia. It was the first time I had been to China, and I was excited to see firsthand Fulbright and other Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs exchange programs at work. Overall, we shared an informative and enlightening week with insightful and generous hosts, and we're proud of the work that ECA and its program participants are doing there.

We arrived in a snowy Beijing and met with officials from the Chinese Ministry of Education and later representatives from Hanban, a Teachers of Critical Languages Program partner. With the upcoming Consultation… more »