Executive Summary

In the spring of 2003, LASPAU: Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas surveyed alumni of the Fulbright Faculty Development, Ecology, and Cost-Share programs to determine the impact of these programs on individuals and institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. The survey was undertaken at the request of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State, which sponsors the Fulbright Program in partnership with the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, Fulbright Commissions, and Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies worldwide. The overarching goal of the Fulbright Program, which informs each subprogram, is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through international exchange.

On behalf of the ECA, LASPAU administers the Faculty Development, Ecology, and Cost- Share programs. The survey report provides data on the effectiveness, broad reach, and long-term merit of the programs.

THE PROGRAMS

The Fulbright Faculty Development Program, now in its 28th year, plays an important role in providing Latin American and Caribbean institutions with well-trained professionals who, despite the obstacles they face, are committed to the improvement of the quality of higher education in the region. This program brings faculty members, nominated by their home universities, to the United States to pursue graduate studies. Following their studies, they return to their countries to contribute to the improvement of these institutions.

The Fulbright Ecology Programs, now in their 13th year, were initiated in order to address regional environmental and sustainable development issues through international educational exchange and create networks of skilled environmentalists who will work as advocates for sound public policy in the hemisphere. Fulbright Commissions and Public Affairs Sections, in conjunction with LASPAU, have developed public and private partnerships leading to many Fulbright Cost-Share Programs. Some of these programs mirror the Faculty Development Program, while others address the needs of a particular sector or region of a country.

THE CONTEXT

Latin American and Caribbean universities face many challenges, resulting primarily from the tremendous increase in the demand for higher education coupled with chronic under-funding. This has placed a difficult burden on institutions of higher learning. At the same time, the need for faculty members with broad international perspectives and up-to-date knowledge of their disciplines has never been greater. Decades of investment in faculty training by a variety of sponsors has enabled the development of high-caliber graduate programs and research centers at select universities across the region, attracting students from their own countries and abroad. Although these pockets of excellence do exist and important reforms are being introduced in a number of countries, much remains to be done to improve the overall quality of higher education.

THE SURVEY

Researchers developed an online questionnaire including multiple choice, numerical, and openended response questions designed to elicit data focusing on key issues associated with program effectiveness: return and retention; impact on sponsoring institution and sector; scholarly and professional achievements; professional collaborations; and intercultural understanding. Of a total population of 2,566 alumni from 1976 to 2000, the researchers were able to contact half of them, 544 of whom returned completed questionnaires. The Faculty Development alumni account for an overwhelming majority of the overall alumni pool (88%), with Ecology alumni accounting for 3% and Cost-Share alumni accounting for 9%.

Contrary to regionwide trends,
86% of Fulbright Faculty
Development respondents who
returned to their home
institutions hold full-time
positions.

The percentage of female
grantees has risen from 21%
in 1976 to 50% in 2000.

During their careers, the
survey respondents will directly
influence over one million
students at Latin American and
Caribbean universities.

Mutual understanding was
rated by alumni as one of
the most important personal
outcomes of the Fulbright
Program.

English language training
opened the door to the
Fulbright Program for the
76% of survey respondents
who would otherwise have
been unable to participate.

THE RESULTS

Return and Retention
The value of the program is best realized when participants return to their home countries and institutions and share their knowledge and experiences with students, colleagues, and other individuals in their communities. 90% of Faculty Development survey respondents returned to their home institutions following their degree programs; 77% remain there today. A total of 80% currently work in academia in their home countries.

Impact on Sponsoring Institution and Sector
Because the majority of respondents are full-time faculty members, the knowledge and skills they obtain through their Fulbright programs have an impact over the course of their careers on large numbers of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A number of survey respondents have achieved leadership roles as heads of departments or deans at their institutions.

Scholarly and Professional Achievements
Grantees of the Fulbright Faculty Development, Ecology, and Cost-Share programs have made important contributions to their academic and professional disciplines. Aside from imparting knowledge to generations of students, they have continued to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their respective fields. 89% have made presentations at academic and professional conferences (average 6 presentations), 75% have published scholarly or professional articles in peer-reviewed publications (average 5 articles), and 28% have published a book. All are indicators that the programs are building a regional cadre of highly skilled educators and experts in their fields.

Professional Collaboration
Professional collaboration is a key element for the successful development of disciplines and academic institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents have undertaken collaborative projects with professors or fellow students from their U.S. host institutions (average 5 projects), indicating significant participation in the global academic community.

Intercultural Understanding
The survey results indicate that the three programs examined have been faithful to the Fulbright mission of promoting mutual understanding. It is interesting to note that while the Fulbright Program was originally intended to encourage understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other nations, the large number of international students and faculty on U.S. university campuses exposes grantees to people of many cultures, greatly broadening the concept of mutual understanding. When asked about the three most important personal outcomes of their participation in the program, 58% selected gaining a greater understanding of other cultures through their interactions with students from other countries and 41% selected forming personal ties with people at their host institutions and within their host communities.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Several recommendations emerged from the alumni survey:

• Alumni and their home institutions would benefit from further opportunities for collaboration with U.S. universities. Increased promotion of existing Fulbright programs (such as the Visiting Scholar Program) and new initiatives directed at alumni could support this goal.
  
  
• A comprehensive tracking system of alumni is needed to maintain closer ties with Fulbright alumni and enable program administrators to easily gather data in support of programmatic and policy aims.
  
  
• Of the surveyed alumni for whom English is a second language, 76% benefited from intensive English language training in the United States. However, this number is falling. Increased funding to support English language training is critical to maintaining a diverse grantee pool and to selecting candidates with the greatest potential for developing higher education and other sectors in their home countries.
  
  
• The data collected through the survey raises interesting questions for further study. For the Faculty Development Program, case studies of selected institutions across the region would yield a more in-depth picture of the contribution of the Fulbright Program to institutional development, incorporating the perspective of university officials as well as alumni. A suggested area of focus is the reincorporation of alumni and their long-term impact on home institutions. For the Ecology programs, additional research on the alumni would more directly assess the impact of the programs on environmental conservation and public policy.