Eight grantees already have been selected to participate in 2013.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - U.S. and Indonesia signed a new Fulbright agreement for Indonesian diplomats to study in the United States, according to the US Embassy here in its official website on Wednesday.
In support of greater education exchange opportunities and bilateral cooperation, on December 13, U.S. American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF) Executive Director Mike McCoy and Ambassador Huzairin Pohan, who is currently Head of the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry (KEMLU) Education and Training Center, signed a new agreement to support Higher Education scholarships.
U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Kristen Bauer and KEMLU Inspector General Ambassador Sugeng Rahardjo observed the signing.
The Higher Education scholarship program, originally instituted in December 2009, offers Indonesian diplomats the opportunity to pursue full-time graduate study at an accredited U.S. university in any academic field.
In 2010, four students under the program began graduate studies at American University, University of San Diego, and University of Pittsburgh; in 2011, six grantees attended Tufts University, Georgetown University, University of Chicago, University of Denver, and Clark University; and, this year, eight grantees are attending Georgetown University, University of Denver, Northern Illinois University, University of Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and University of Kentucky.
Eight grantees already have been selected to participate in 2013. The new agreement between AMINEF and KEMLU raises the amount of funds available to Master`s and Ph.D. students, which will open the door to study at top-ranked schools.
This Higher Education partnership represents part of Presidents Obama and Yudhoyono`s long-term commitment to broadening, deepening, and elevating educational exchanges between the two countries.
Since Indonesia became independent, education has been a constant tie binding together the two nations, and Fulbright has been the flagship education exchange program.
In fact, nine Fulbright program alumni have served as Indonesian ambassadors: Ambassador Hasjim Djalal (former Ambassador to Germany, Canada and the UN), Ambassador Makmur Widodo (Germany), Ambassador Sulaiman Abdulmanan (Belgium), Ambassador Perwitorini Wiyono (Denmark), Ambassador Faisal Ismail (Kuwait), Ambassador Artauli Panggabean Tobing (Vietnam), and Ambassador Iris Indira Murti (Finland).***3***
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(T.A014/B/A014/S012) 19-12-2012 21:13:45
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