The Commission organized the 5th U.S. Study Abroad Capacity Building tour for 10 representatives of 4 U.S. universities (Western Carolina University, East Tennessee State University, University of Louisville and University of Tennessee, Knoxville) from Appalachia between June 8-15, 2024

DAY 1

Lecture on History of Hungary

Lecture on American Hungarians in the Appalachia: Anna Fenyvesi (’24 West Virginia University)

City tour by bus

Visit to Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design: Anikó Illés (’19 Montclair State University)

 
DAY 2

Visiting the Heritage House – Hungarian Folk Culture and Folk Art: Péter Árendás, Professional Leader for Folk Music

Visit to Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music: Ágnes Lakatos (’23 Columbia College) and Gyula Fekete (’94 Northwestern University & ’04 Chicago College of Performing Arts), Vice Rector

Hungarian folk evening with the Sarjú Band and Historical Gypsy Music and Dinner

 
DAY 3

Visit to Eszterházy Károly Catholic University in Eger: Campus Tour, Archdiocese Library, Roma Residential College, University Winery, Innoregio Knowledge Center: Ilona Tari, Rector; Kálmán Váczy, Vice Rector; Györgyi Kovács Majorosné, Office for Int’l Relations Head

City walk, Observatory, Eger Castle, Egerszalók Salt Hill

 
DAY 4

Visit to University of Miskolc, Campus Tour: Péter Galbács (’18 University of Chicago)

Lecture on Social and Historical Overview of the Region: Virág Havasi and Attila Papp, Institute of Applied Social Sciences

Miskolctapolca, Cave Bath, Lillafüred

 
DAY 5

Visit to University of Debrecen: Elek Bartha, Vice Rector

UD Faculty of Humanities: Péter Csatár, Vice Dean and Gábor Biczó

UD Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Environmental Management and Economics: László Stündl, Dean; Péter Kőmíves and Troy Wiwczaroski

Mead making and tasting: Valter Pfliegler (’19 Harvard University), Faculty of Science and Technology

Hortobágy, Mátai Stud farm, Puszta Tour by horse carriage, Tiszaszőlős Falusi Patika Distillery

 
Read the blog post of a participant, Olivia Adinolfi, a student from East Tennessee State University.

Fulbright Hungary held its annual Pre-Departure Orientation and farewell cruise for 35 Hungarian Fulbrighters selected for grants during Academic Year 2024-25.

The Commission said goodbye to US scholars and students the same day, May 10, 2024, during the cruise.

The class of 2024-25 has 35 members and includes 2 Humphrey Fellows on the way to Arizona State University and Penn State / 16 students from all types of fields / 1 Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) / 15 scholars (4 lecturers and 11 researchers) and 1 Fulbright Schuman Program grantee.
A large proportion of these grantees came from the University of Szeged, Eötvös Loránd University and Budapest University of Technolgy and Economics. All in all, 19 different public institutions, universities, private firms and research organizations are represented including the Hungarian Defense Forces, and each person comes from a different academic field.

The students and scholars are headed to the following public and private universities in the US: Bard / UC Berkeley / Texas A&M U / NYU / UCLA / U of Minnesota / U of Hawaii / Michigan State U / Virginia Polytechnic Inst / Yale / U of Rhode Island / U of Wisconsin / California State Polytechnic U / U of Texas / UCSB / Adelphi U / U of Alaska / IU Bloomington / Columbia / Metropolitan State U of Denver / U of Maryland / U of Utah / West Virginia U / U of Arizona / Arizona State U / Alliant Int U / U of Denver / U of Pittsburgh / U of Virginia / Oregon State U / U of North Texas / BYU.

Pre-Departure Orientation program

• Opening remarks by PAO Jonas D. Stewart, U.S. Embassy
• Cultural adaptation- How to prepare? Tips and tricks by Nóra Petneházy (’22)
• Visa Application by Nathan J. Shuler, Consular Officer, U.S. Embassy
• Practical Issues for Fulbright Grantees on Travelling to the U.S. by Fulbright staff
• Cultural and Educational Differences between the U.S. and Hungary by Patrick Leech (’23) and Sabrina Pasztor (’23)
• Experiences and Practical Advice of 8 Former Fulbright Grantees

A separate mini-orientation was held on May 30 for 5 grantees who could not attend the regular orientation.

Congratulations and we look forward to hearing about the great things they will do during their grant years.

The Bulgarian Fulbright Commission hosted a meeting between March 13-15, 2024 for Program Officers from all over Europe, representing 23 different countries, to foster the exchange of best practices and a foundation for continuing collaboration, networking and knowledge-sharing. During the sessions led by staff members across the continent, participants heard about well-honed strategies for success and shared about any common challenges, experiences and insights they face together.

Thank you Fulbright Bulgaria for hosting and welcoming our staff members!

The Commission hosted a weeklong study abroad program for 16 University of Kentucky, Lewis Honors College students and 2 faculty members between June 5-12, 2023 entitled: Cafe Europa, Croatia and Hungary: Dealing with the Past, but into What Future?

During the week the group visited Budapest landmarks: Heroes’ Square, City Park, Jewish Quarter, Dohány street Synagogue, Parliament building, Castle District, Central Market Hall

The group also participated in a Folk singing workshop and Folk Dance house.

Day 4 was a trip to the Danube Bend: Dobogókő, Esztergom Basilica, Visegrád fortress/lookout point, Szentendre, Boat cruise back to Budapest

Other programs included a guided tour of the Gödöllő Royal Palace and a visit to Memento Park

The Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission (Fulbright Alapítvány) celebrated the 30th Anniversary of its establishment on October 7, 2022 at a Gala held in the Solti Concert Hall at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest. If the pre-Commission period is included, the history of the Fulbright Scholarship Program in Hungary goes back another 14 years to 1978.

Our Gala program recognized all Fulbrighters, Hungarians and Americans alike, through the presentation of culture. One important leg of the global Fulbright program, cultural exchange, means experiencing the different, sharing the familiar, and integrating this synthesis into a life of learning and curiosity. Fulbright scholars and students in all fields, such as the natural and social sciences, engineering, law, the arts and humanities are destined to absorb the culture and heritage of the US and Hungary respectively.

The Commission and its staff are eternally grateful to our alumni in the US and Hungary, who volunteer to act as peer reviewers, references, hosts, mentors, board members and interview panel members. Our work would not be possible without the support of the alumni community, thank you.

We are also grateful to our two founders, the governments of the United States and of Hungary, for their financial, technical and logistical support over the past three decades. Read Ambassador David Pressman’s remarks.

The Commission would like to thank our Hungarian host universities, many of whom are here with us today, for offering not only academic homes for our American students and scholars, but also for their ever-increasing financial contributions. In this sense too, Hungarian universities are rapidly converging with their US peers.

Our Board, upon suggestions from staff, has approved up to 5 Fulbright alumni travel awards per year, on a first-come-first-served basis, to help defray the cost of Hungarian Fulbright alumni attending academic conferences in the United States in order to serve on a panel or better yet, to present a paper. Details forthcoming.

The Fulbright Commission has decided to present an award, the Fulbright Hungary Medal, to five members of our alumni community who have served the cause over the past three decades.

Their service includes negotiating the initial bilateral agreement between Hungary and the United States, serving on and/or chairing the board, organizing alumni association activity, peer reviewing, interviewing, hosting, recommending and mentoring generations of students and scholars. Their time spent in the US as grantees, or in the case of Professor Donald Morse, as a US grantee in Hungary, contributed to US-Hungarian cultural, educational and scientific exchange in more ways that we can possibly list.

The awardees are: Professor Donald Morse; Professor Zoltán Abádi-Nagy; Professor Katalin Nagy; Professor Zita Zoltay Paprika.

There is a fifth awardee, who unfortunately has passed away a few weeks before this event. Our immediate past Board chairman, Professor Tibor Frank.
He will be sorely missed by all of us. We honored Professor Tibor Frank’s memory with a minute of silence and reflection.

More pictures of our event in the gallery below. Video material soon!

A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon

Fulbright Hungary (@fulbrighthungary) által megosztott bejegyzés

It is with great sadness that the Fulbright Commission and global Fulbright alumni community heard of the passing of Professor Tibor Frank, a multiple Fulbright grantee and chair of our Board several times over the past 30 years. His wisdom, humor, dedication, steadfast mentoring and adherence to academic integrity will be sorely missed and remembered by all who knew him.

Tibor Frank Professor Emeritus of History at the Department of American Studies, former Director of the School of English and American Studies (ELTE). He has lectured in over 40 U.S., Canadian, British and European universities and contributed to over 80 conferences in both Europe and the United States. His books, articles, chapters were published in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

He served as member and Chairman of the Hungarian-American Fulbright Board. Professor Frank received the C. E. Eckersley Prize (1970), Felsőoktatási Tanulmányi Érdemérem (Hungarian Higher Education Award 1972), Országh László Prize (2000), Pro Universitate and Pro Neophilologia in Hungaria awards (2002). In recognition of his achievement in higher education he was awarded the Szent-Györgyi Albert Prize in 2005.

May he rest in peace!

Higher Education Questionnaire
by Tempus Public Foundation for higher education students who studied in Ukraine, and want to continue their program in Hungary, as well as for higher education academics who want to participate in a Hungarian academic scholarship program.

Students at Risk Subprogramme of the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme for Ukrainian students fleeing the war in Ukraine

Semmelweis Medical University helping refugees from Ukraine

The University of Pécs opens its doors to refugees from Ukraine

Budapest University of Technology and Economics Helps Transborder Students and Ukrainian Partner Universities

Corvinus University of Budapest is offering help by recruiting interpreters and hosting refugee students

The University of Szeged helps refugees from Ukraine with accommodation, food supply and medical care

Széchenyi István University welcomes Indian students fleeing from Ukraine

How to donate? Budapest Helps

Statement on Ukraine by Fulbright Commissions in Europe