FOCUS the AMIDEAST Alumni Newsletter of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program the Fulbright Program Is Sponsored by the U.S
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Spring 2006 Edition FOCUS The AMIDEAST Alumni Newsletter of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs GLOBAL CAMPUSES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE Government and University Leaders Strengthen Focus on International Education at D.C. Summit The presidents of over 120 attracting foreign students American universities to the United States; gathered in Washington, strengthening non- D.C. from January 5-6 to traditional language participate in the U.S. acquisition; encouraging University Presidents more Americans to pursue Summit hosted by education abroad; and Secretary of State better facilitating exchange Condoleezza Rice and visa and regulatory Secretary of Education processes. “We need Margaret Spellings. The universities to open their Summit, attended by doors to people from around university presidents from each of Secretary Spellings, Under Secretary the world. We need universities to the 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Hughes, and Secretary Rice during the send their students around the Summit’s discussion District of Columbia, and world. So through that exchange organized by the State National Security Language and contact, we can learn more Department’s Bureau of Initiative – a collaborative effort about each other…if we’re engaged Educational and Cultural Affairs, between government and only in a monologue, we will not aimed to engage leaders of U.S. education to further strengthen get very far. If we get to know each higher education in a renewed national security and prosperity in other better, it will be a dialogue,” partnership to strengthen the 21st century through commented Secretary Rice in the international education. education, especially in developing opening session of the Summit. foreign language skills. Secretaries Rice and Spellings Part of the commitment to meeting convened the Summit to initiate a Secretary Rice compared the that challenge is the National dialogue on the need for the U.S. present imperative to strengthen Security Language Initiative (NSLI) government to work international education to the put forth by President Bush. collaboratively with the non- scientific initiative launched during Assistant Secretary of State for governmental sector on the future the Cold War, noting that efforts in Educational and Cultural Affairs, of U.S. higher education in a global international education have thus Dina Powell, and Assistant arena. The Summit also presented far not matched those in science Secretary of State for Democracy, U.S. President George W. Bush with from forty years ago. Goals of the opportunity to announce his international education include Continued on page 2… ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: An interview with Fulbright Alumna AMIDEAST Field Office Updates....................4 Dr. Hoda Al-Mutawah............................3 In Her Own Words: Alumni News and Notes.........................6 Dalia Azmy Gomaa....................................8 Fulbright Focus …continued from front page countries, than they did just a generation ago and other countries GRANT OPPORTUNITY! Human Rights, and Labor, Barry are aggressively competing to Lowenkron, outlined this initiative attract international students to over the course of the Summit. their shores,” assessed Under We will soon be accepting ap- Realizing that deficits in foreign Secretary Hughes. The plications for the AY 2006/2007 language learning and teaching international exchange industry Round 1 Alumni Development negatively affect our national has much more parity than several Grant Competition. security, diplomacy, law decades ago when the U.S. was enforcement, intelligence among the best of the select few *********** communities and cultural countries to pursue competitive understanding, the NSLI has set university studies. AMIDEAST will award grants up forth three broad goals: to $2,500 for Fulbright alumni to attend a professional • Expand the number of conference or seminar, Americans mastering conduct a collaborative critical need languages research project, complete a and start at a younger age; short-term training program, or • Increase the number of participate in a professional advanced-level speakers of visit with colleagues in their foreign languages, with an field. emphasis on critical needs languages; and Eligibility Requirements: • Increase the number of foreign language teachers - Applicants must be alumni of and the resources for them. the AMIDEAST Fulbright Foreign Student Program. - Applicants must have fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement Secretary Rice issues remarks - Proposed grant activity must The wide representation of occur between September 30, participants, hosts, sponsors, and 2006 and March 31, 2007 partners at the Summit proved to be a microcosm of the diversity that Secretary Hughes speaking at the U.S. many agreed is necessary in Deadline: August 10, 2006 University President’s Summit on international educational. It also International Education attested to the multi-dimensional facet of international education. For a list of grant guidelines, Summit participant, Gordon Gee, Effective communication and Chancellor of Vanderbilt eligibility requirements, and to greater cultural awareness affect apply, please visit: University, called international countless industries in an education, “both our greatest http://www.amideast.org/ increasingly globalizing world. programs_services/ challenge and our greatest “You can’t live in the world today, opportunity.” Part of the challenge exchange_programs/fulbright/ and you can’t do business in the grants/guidelines.htm for the United States to expand its world today, unless you are a role in international education is global citizen,” said President keeping up with the exchange Margaret Lee of Oakton Online applications are opportunities in other countries Community College in Illinois. “We encouraged. Please contact that have arisen in recent decades. do live in a world that is so small Elisa O’Keefe at “Today, hundreds of thousands of now that the ‘community’ is the [email protected] with international students have many people on the planet.” more opportunities to study at any questions. Information from this article was collected home, at centers of academic form the U.S. Department of State Bureau achievement in their own of Educational and Cultural Affairs website: www.exchanges.state.gov. 2 Spring 2006 Edition Fulbright Focus on: Dr. Hoda AL-MUTAWAH Hoda Al-Mutawah was a Bahraini Fulbright grantee from 1998-2000. She received her Doctorate in Communications from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She is now an assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communications, Tourism, and Arts at the University of Bahrain. Since her Fulbright grant, Dr. Al-Mutawah has been actively developing and Dr. Hoda Al-Mutawah, founder of the promoting her own global peace initiative – the Almuhod Developmental Program. Almuhod Developmental Program The program is a cultural reform project that she designed after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Pennsylvania. The aim of the Almuhod Developmental Program is to reestablish a solidified connection between Muslim spiritual, cultural, and educational life. The key to doing this, Dr. Al-Mutawah suggests, is renovating the role of Muslim religious centers to encompass social and cultural aspects of community life. The Fulbright Focus is pleased to present to you Dr. Hoda Al-Mutawah and her Almuhod Developmental Program – a project that she believes is “capable of restoring the dignity of Islam as a civilized religion that does not encourage extremism.” Q: What, in your opinion, is the interpretation is only one reading program, especially when more most pressing problem facing the of the original text and cannot people become aware of my ideas. always capture the real meaning. My ideas are very simple and basic Islamic world today? True meaning should be looked at and no one could disagree with the within the cultural context that need to maintain a peaceful and The pressing challenge that the produced it. Leaving the religion harmonious planet. Islamic world is facing today is to for religious people and separating reconstruct itself according to the it from the spirit of the progressive Q: Where do you see your universal approach, despite the time shows that misinterpretation program in 10 years? The Middle fact that this universal approach is always a possibility. It is time for is already deeply rooted in the the religious groups from all East in 10 years? message of Islam. The focus of many religions to study the goal of their religious Muslims has been religions within a new light. In 10 years my program should switched from the essence of Islam have given at least a thousand to the surface. The message of Islam individuals a chance to explore a Q: What stage of development is is peace and harmony. Prophet different culture. I see the Middle Mohammad says: “The Muslim is your program currently in? East in 10 years as a more global that who save people from his and harmonious place, especially tongue and his hand” (this means, My program still needs someone to when other organizations work no verbal or physical hurt should adopt it. I am traveling outside my toward the same goal in promoting be accepted from a real Muslim) country because history tells us peace and intercultural exchange. and that the Mo’men (The Believer that even prophets were known Respecting “the Other”