Nieuws van de Fulbright Commission

Message from the Board

13 November 2025

The Fulbright Commission the Netherlands expresses its appreciation for the six esteemed Board members who resigned on 13 November 2025, and thanks them for their dedicated service and support of Fulbright. As it goes through this transition, the Fulbright Commission Board remains fully operational and dedicated to the founding principles and purpose of the Fulbright Program to promote mutual understanding between people through exchanges in higher education. The Board is unwavering in its commitment to upholding academic freedom and to protecting the Fulbright Program and community for the future. All Fulbright exchanges and programs between the Netherlands and the United States are proceeding as planned and announced.

For more than 76 years, Fulbright has strengthened people-to-people relations and cultural exchange between the Netherlands and the United States, offering life-changing opportunities for students and scholars from both countries. The bridge that Fulbright was designed to create between the United States and 160 other countries remains as essential today as it was when the Fulbright Program was established in the aftermath of World War II. Indeed, in a rapidly changing and challenging world, the mission of the Fulbright Program to connect civil societies and promote mutual understanding has become more important and urgent than ever.

The remaining and incoming Board members believe they can best advance and safeguard the principles of the Fulbright Program by staying at the table; leading the program forward through fresh approaches; and continuing to support the talented, driven young people hoping to make a difference in the world and to contribute to valuable research and education cooperation. Fortunately, national commissions like ours have options to support and fund any grantees, and experience to date has been very positive.

By continuing to support Fulbright, the Board ensures that students and scholars can choose for themselves if – and under which circumstances – they wish to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to go to the United States or the Netherlands. The Fulbright Commission and Board in the Netherlands are firmly committed to the Fulbright Program; the unfettered academic pursuit at the heart of its mission; and the continuing success of the program, its participants, and alumni.

Hollis Kurman
Christina Caljé
Nathalie Jaarsma
Douglas D. Jones
Daniel Kanigan
Danna Van Brandt
Abdel Zirar

Fulbright Netherlands 75th Anniversary

Zondag, 20 oktober 2024, vierden we het 75-jarig jubileum van het Fulbright programma in Nederland. Het was een feestelijke viering vol hernieuwde kennismakingen, mooie herinneringen aan ons verleden en hoopvolle blikken op onze toekomst. Er waren keynote speeches van de erevoorzitters van ons bestuur, Minister van Onderwijs Eppo Bruins van het Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, Amerikaanse Ambassadeur Shefali Razdan Duggal van de Amerikaanse Ambassade, en door professor James Kennedy, die terugblikte op de geschiedenis van Fulbright. Voor een indruk van de speeches, de paneldiscussie van enkele alumni van onze commissie en de receptie, kunt u de aftermovie bekijken hier. U kunt ook alle foto’s van het evenement bekijken op deze link.

College Night 2024

Op maandag 23 september konden scholieren, ouders en docenten uit heel Nederland kennismaken met vertegenwoordigers van 14 Amerikaanse universiteiten. Zij kwamen van over de hele VS speciaal naar Nederland om met geïnteresseerde studenten te praten. De avond werd geopend door Charlie Hornstra van EducationUSA. Hij sprak de scholieren toe en gaf hen enkele adviezen mee voor hun oriëntatie op een studie in de VS.

College Night is een jaarlijks evenement en wordt georganiseerd door EducationUSA/Fulbright. Het evenement werd bezocht door 300 scholieren en ouders. Naast 14 Amerikaanse universiteiten konden zij ook kennis maken met vertegenwoordigers van de Ivy Circle, US Embassy en Consulate General, Amerikaanse Fulbright studenten in Nederland en alumni van het Campus Scholarship Program.

Wij kijken met veel plezier terug op deze editie van College Night!

Fulbright Award Ceremony 2024

De Fulbright Commission feliciteert dit jaar 21 Nederlandse graduate studenten, promovendi en wetenschappers met de ontvangst van een Fulbright beurs. De bursalen en hun familieleden werden afgelopen week ontvangen bij de historische Aula van de Universiteit Utrecht. Daar woonden zij een feestelijke award ceremony bij met vertegenwoordigers van de Nederlandse en Amerikaanse overheid, Fulbright board members, staf en alumni.

Sprekers voor de award ceremony van dit jaar waren:

Dr. Anton Pijpers, voorzitter van de Universiteit Utrecht en voorzitter van het bestuur van de Fulbright Commission the Netherlands

Mw. Shefali Razdan Duggal, Ambassadeur van de V.S. in Nederland

Dhr. Gerbert Kunst, directeur Internationaal Beleid bij het Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap

Dr. Tara Peris, Amerikaanse Fulbright scholar alumna

Mw. Rehana Al-Soltane, Nederlandse Fulbright student alumna

Dr. Michiel Kolman, Nederlandse Fulbright student alumnus, namens sponsor Elsevier

Dr. Christward Gradenwitz, Executive Director van de Fulbright Commission the Netherlands

Dr. Anton Pijpers heette alle aanwezigen hartelijk welkom als eerste spreker. Hij motiveerde de bursalen om het beste uit hun verblijf in de Verenigde Staten te halen. Hij gaf aan dat ze een fantastische ervaring in de VS zullen hebben, een ervaring die “will undoubtedly change the course of [their] lives.” Dr. Pijpers’ advies aan hen was: “Be open-minded, do not shy away from interesting or challenging conversations about either country. Learn and educate. Find common ground and celebrate it, acknowledge difference and try to respect it.”

Daarna hield mevrouw Shefali Razdan Duggal, de Amerikaanse ambassadeur in Nederland, een boeiende toespraak over de relatie tussen de VS en Nederland en de rol die Fulbright speelt in het onderhouden en versterken van die relatie. Ze gaf aan: “This experience is more than an educational opportunity…The Fulbright program has helped strengthen the friendship between the people from the United States and the Netherlands for 75 years.”

De heer Gerbert Kunst van het Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap sprak vervolgens enkele woorden. Hij vertelde de bursalen dat ze nu deel uitmaken van een groep van zeer getalenteerde mensen, en gaf aan dat “Fulbright is all about…sharing ideas, sharing time and ultimately broadening our horizons and tackling difficult questions together”. Hij eindigde met een citaat van senator Fulbright zelf: “The aim is to bring a little more knowledge and a little more compassion in the world.”

Daarna deelde Dr. Tara Peris haar gedachten over haar eigen Fulbright-ervaring in Nederland: “What a gift it’s all been, the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas across labs and cultures.
To talk about what motivates our work, both professionally and personally. I’m leaving here with a much better understanding of the breadth and depth of the research taking place in the
Netherlands, exposure to new research methods, and to a different rhythm of academic life. The professional connections are a boon, but the personal ones are even better. They are what really leads to the kind of cross cultural understanding that Fulbright seeks to cultivate.” Ze moedigde de vertrekkende bursalen aan “to approach [their Fulbright experience] with curiosity, persistence, humor, and a willingness to put yourself out there,” en ze herinnerde hen eraan dat “[she’ll] be part of that Fulbright community rooting [them] on and trying to live vicariously through [their] adventures.”

Fulbright alum Rehana Al-Soltane reflecteerde op haar eigen Fulbright-ervaring om wat wijze raad en aanmoediging te delen met onze 2024-2025 Nederlandse bursalen: “My curiosity, passion for education, creativity and pack of hagelslag became my anchoring points. They helped me in this wild journey where I was on a mission to develop world class education in Computer Science and AI to students all over the world, especially those in underserved communities. You see, the journey you are about to embark on is unlike any you’ve taken before. The beauty in the type of education in the universities that you just got accepted in, is in their ability to make you deconstruct who you are as a person, what you stand for, and what you believe in. It’s a peculiar transformation, really, where at the end, you have to build yourself up again, piece by piece, with your own two hands. This is not to scare you, but to inspire you to find those anchoring points in yourself.”

Vervolgens sprak Elsevier-vertegenwoordiger en Fulbright-alumnus Michiel Kolman de bursalen toe. Hij benoemde de twee door Elsevier gesponsorde bursalen, Zawdie Sandvliet en Nina Tobsch. Daarna richtte hij zich tot alle 2024-2025 bursalen: “I also stand before you as a fellow Fulbrighter. I was in your shoes at a very similar event before I traveled to New York for my graduate studies at Columbia University.” De heer Kolman eindigde met het erkennen van de reikwijdte van Fulbrighters, zowel in het buitenland als thuis, en wenste de bursalen “lots of success on [their] own mission[s] of internationalization, [and] an amazing time, academically and on the personal front.”

Tot slot sprak de executive director van Fulbright Commission the Netherlands, en zelf Fulbright alumnus, Dr. Christward Gradenwitz. Hij praatte over het selectieproces van Fulbrighters: “In selecting grantees for educational exchange, Fulbright is looking for innovators, leaders, and trailblazers, coming from all segments of society, and from all walks of life” – dit wordt zeker weerspiegeld in het nieuwe cohort. Tot slot ging hij in op de blijvende, grotere impact van Fulbright op het leven van bursalen, zoals Fulbright zijn eigen leven heeft beïnvloed: “Think about what it means for you to have a Fulbright experience. It is not just about receiving money to be able to do study or research at an institution of high repute. It is much more than that. And yet, later on, if you have become alumni of these grand institutions that you are about to join, we hope that you will remember the vehicle that brought you there.”

Fulbright Award Ceremony 2022

De Fulbright Commission feliciteert dit jaar 22 Nederlandse graduate studenten, promovendi en wetenschappers met de ontvangst van een Fulbright beurs. De bursalen en hun familieleden werden afgelopen week ontvangen bij het Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap in Den Haag. Daar woonden zij een feestelijke award ceremony bij met vertegenwoordigers van de Nederlandse en Amerikaanse overheid, Fulbright board members, staf en alumni.

Onder de sprekers bevonden zich

Prof. Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf, Minister van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap

Ms. Marja Verloop, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to the Netherlands

Prof. Dr. Anton Pijpers, Voorzitter van het bestuur van de Fulbright Commission

Ms. Lise Mitsinga, Fulbright alumna, aan Columbia Law School

Dr. Christward Gradenwitz, Executive Director van de Fulbright Commission

Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf was verheugd de Fulbright bursalen toe te spreken. Uit eigen ervaring kan hij een studie of onderzoek in de VS aan iedereen aanraden. Hij spoort de bursalen aan om hun successen te vieren, maar nog belangrijker, om óók te falen en de zo leerzame tegenslagen die bij dit avontuur horen te omarmen. Zijn advies aan de Fulbrighters: “”Embark on this wonderful adventure with conviction and curiosity. Meet each other, make friends, and find people with a different outlook on life than yours. Dare to deviate from the path laid out for you and try to find that winding road.”

Prof. Dr. Anton Pijpers, voorzitter van het bestuur van de Fulbright Commission, en de master of ceremonies tijdens de award ceremony, bedankte de minister voor zijn toespraak en zijn eerdere betrokkenheid bij het Fulbright programma. “We are also very happy at Fulbright to have you as our Minister. How special it is to have a former member of the Board of the Fulbright Commission, which you were before leaving for Princeton, returning as the Minister addressing our grantees in that capacity! Truly wonderful.”

Aan de zaal gaf hij de volgende boodschap mee: “Today, we are celebrating the fact that a select group of young scholars and students have been awarded a Fulbright grant. This opportunity will not only help them fulfill their ambitions, but it also helps realize the mission of the Fulbright Program: promoting mutual understanding between citizens of the United States and citizens of other nations […] Grantees – you are about to embark on a great adventure. One that will undoubtedly alter the course of your lives. I can assure you that you will return as a changed person, enriched in many ways.”

Chargé d’Affaires Marja Verloop sprak de zaal namens de Amerikaanse overheid toe. “Good afternoon, everyone. I want to join Minister Dijkgraaf and President Pijpers in congratulating to our grantees, and to thank our colleagues from the Ministry of Education for being such gracious hosts,” sprak zij. Aan de bursalen geeft zij het volgende mee: “Your Fulbright grants will open doors in ways you cannot imagine. You will gain new perspectives and learn to dream bigger. Years from now you will message with your best friend in America…someone you haven’t even met yet. And that all starts today. As our chief of mission here I can say this with some authority: You are all Ambassadors now. For your schools, for your fields of study, for the Netherlands.”

Voorzitter Anton Pijpers bedankte ook de Amerikaanse overheid voor hun bijdragen aan het programma. “We are fortunate today to hear from both of you, representing the American and Dutch governments respectively. Binational support is a foundational principle of the Fulbright Program in the Netherlands. The predecessor of our Commission was founded in 1949 on the basis of a Treaty between our two governments. Ever since the Fulbright Program has been able to flourish in the Netherlands thanks to the unwavering support of both governments.”

Lise Mitsinga ontving afgelopen jaar een Fulbright beurs voor haar Master of Laws aan Columbia Law School in New York. Net teruggekeerd uit de VS, deelde zij haar ervaringen met de nieuwe Fulbrighters en gaf hen drie belangrijke adviezen mee:  “First, derive meaning in the challenges you will undoubtedly face and know that you have the grace to overcome them. […] For a lot of us academic excellence is the standard that we have always upheld, and it can be intimidating to enter spaces where suddenly everyone is smart and you won’t always understand something instantly. Regardless, know that you belong in the spaces you are about to enter and that your contributions are valuable. Second, do not forget to invest in the intangible things that will outlast the duration of your program. […] Lastly, being admitted to a prestigious academic program or research opportunity is a milestone in itself, but the real challenge lies up ahead. Because on the other side of privilege lies responsibility. It is important to make a conscious effort to think of ways to leverage the resources that are made available to us, to leave a positive footprint, and to pay it forward whenever we can.”

Tot slot gaf Christward Gradenwitz, Executive Director van de Fulbright Commission, zijn visie op onze belangrijke missie van wederzijds begrip aan de Fulbright bursalen mee. “Fulbright is about connecting people between the U.S. and other countries, where states sometimes get into conflicts or even war. With the war in Ukraine this is more topical than ever. When the war started the Fulbright community reached out to Ukrainian and Russian Fulbrighters alike. In essence Fulbright is about building empathy, tolerance, and understanding, by learning to appreciate a diversity of views and of perspectives. As a matter of fact diversity is at the heart of the Fulbright Program.” De Fulbright bursalen dragen ieder bij aan deze missie, benadrukte hij verder. “Fulbright is looking for innovators, leaders, and trailblazers. This was the task we set ourselves this year again. I believe I can speak on behalf of all the selection committee members in saying that it was a great privilege and joy to interview the students this year. Their passion for their projects was infectious. We all enjoyed our time with you, and we cannot wait to watch you embark on your journeys.”