KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — The Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE), in partnership with the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), has achieved a historic milestone by sending its 1,000th Malaysian grantee to the United States (US) under the Fulbright Programme on last Sept 17.
The Fulbright Programme exchange nurtures academic partnerships between students and scholars in the US and Malaysia, and these Fulbrighters are hosted by programme partners which consist of public and private universities as well as non-academic organisations across America.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said Malaysia is committed towards strengthening its bilateral relations with the US through MACEE and Fulbright Programmes to accomplish bigger milestones in the future.
“Malaysia is a country that is pursuing the goal of becoming an international hub for quality higher education.
“The bilateral relationship between Malaysia and the US in the field of higher education is reflected by this new milestone that serves as evidence of a successful collaboration through the award of grants, research collaboration, exchanges and visits by academia and students of both countries,” said Noraini, who is the Honorary MACEE co-chairperson in a statement released by MACEE.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Malaysia Brian McFeeters said the Fulbright Programme has been instrumental in strengthening US-Malaysia people-to-people connections through educational exchanges for more than 50 years.
“We look forward to celebrating many more milestones and increased mutual understanding between Americans and Malaysians through higher education,” he said.
The 2022 Fulbrighters began their journey to the US as early as January to pursue a wide range of programmes at top US academic institutions and research centres for various subjects from agriculture to women’s economic empowerment.
The new batch will be part of the existing Malaysian Fulbright Alumni and Global Fulbright Network of more than 400,000 Fulbrighters across 160 participating countries who include heads of state or government, Nobel Prize winners and Pulitzer Prize.
MACEE administers eight co-sponsored Fulbright Programmes and has managed the exchange of 1,000 Malaysians to the US and approximately 2,000 Americans under the programme since the signing of a binational agreement in 1963 between both countries.
Malaysians who wish to enrol under Fulbright scholarship can visit MACEE’s website at www.macee.org.my or contact fulbrightmalaysia@macee.org.my
