BracU resumes U.S. Fulbright Program
On the 25th of May, American ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas announced the resumption of the U.S. Fulbright Scholarship Program after six years in partnership with Brac University. The scholarship had been previously offered to Bangladeshi students; however, following the events of the Holey Artisan Bakery attacks in 2016, the programme had been suspended.
The Fulbright Scholarship is one of the flagship exchange programmes offered by The United States, aiming to strengthen and expand its ties with Bangladesh on an educational and personal level. This resumption is one of many significant efforts by the American Embassy in Dhaka to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations. The American Embassy, dedicated to providing and ensuring quality education in Bangladesh, has also launched the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE). AWE is a Department of State global initiative that aims to promote small to medium enterprises, foster local women entrepreneurs from underprivileged backgrounds, and promote overall gender equality and equity.
To mark this momentous occasion, BracU held an event titled ‘Celebrating Fulbright and Entrepreneurship Collaboration between Brac University and US Embassy Dhaka’ in its auditorium. Ambassador Haas described Fulbright as “more critical than ever for women who have the skill to compete in today’s workforce.” Afterwards, Tamara Hasan Abed, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at BracU discussed the exclusion of small-enterprise owning and grassroots women entrepreneurs in today’s economy. She explained that AWE would “create new hopes, bolster their confidence and show the way.” Alongside, BracU Vice-Chancellor Professor Vincent Chang said, “Brac University is the only private university in a steering committee on the fourth industrial revolution of Bangladesh.” The event ended with Professor Vincent Chang and Tamara Hasan Abed presenting Peter Haas with tokens of appreciation.
