Special Collections Hosts Display of Sen. J. William Fulbright Materials, May 18

Courtesy of Special Collections

To meet the shortage of English language teachers at German high schools, the Northrhine-Westphalian Government invited 30 American teachers to teach at German Secondary schools during the 1970-71 school year. Before going to their German schools, the American teachers were given a two-week orientation course on Germany and the German educational system at the Pedagogic Institute in Bonn.

The Special Collections Department of Mullins Library has curated a display of documents and items from the life and work of Sen. J. William Fulbright for a special display that will be part of the May 17-19 "Building Bridges: The Fulbright Legacy and the Future of International Exchange" conference.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Mullins Library, participants can explore Sen. Fulbright's personal and senatorial papers, founding documents from the Fulbright Program, and documents and photographs of Fulbrighters at work. The display is free and open to the public.

"Special Collections is the proud steward of archival collections documenting the history and impact of the Fulbright program and international exchanges," said Lori Birrell, Mullins Library's head of Special Collections. "It is our great privilege to continue to make these materials available for use by scholars — both near and far — as part of their scholarly pursuits."

German and American Fulbright scholars, guests, and members of the public will convene at the U of A for the conference, which is aimed at understanding the trajectory of transatlantic ties and the future of international cooperation.

The conference, "Building Bridges: The Fulbright Legacy and the Future of International Exchange," is part of the "Wunderbar Together" campaign sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany. It is co-sponsored by the German-American Fulbright Commission and the University of Arkansas International and Global Studies Program and Office of Study Abroad. It will cap a year of commemorative events on both sides of the Atlantic celebrating German-American cooperation.