|  CARLISLE. Pa., Dec. 7, 2007 - Dickinson College President William G. Durden has been named chairman of the advisory board for the Council for International Exchange of Scholars division (CIES) and to the board of directors of its parent organization, the Institute of International Education.
CIES helps administer the Fulbright Scholarship programs, the U.S. government's flagship academic exchange effort, on behalf of the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Founded as a private organization in 1947, CIES maintains deep ties with the U.S. higher-education community, including individual universities and colleges and major scholarly organizations. It also works with a network of bi-national Fulbright commissions in 50 countries and 90 U.S. diplomatic posts around the world, as well as international universities and higher education associations.
“Dr. Durden was a perfect candidate for our board. He is the president of a well respected liberal-arts college, he has significant experience as an international scholar himself given his experience in Germany, and he has been very effective in translating his experience and passion for international education into very effective programs at Dickinson,” said Sabine O’Hara, executive director of CIES. “It is no accident that so many Dickinson students study abroad and so many Dickinson faculty members travel abroad and collaborate with faculty all over the world. These things do not just happen. It takes policies, effective programs and the support of the administration to reach such impressive participation rates in study abroad opportunities.”
Durden, a 1971 graduate of Dickinson College, has been extremely effective in implementing such policies and programs and is a national role model for achieving such significant success in international education, said O’Hara, who added, “This is why we are very pleased that he accepted our invitation to serve as chair of the CIES Advisory Board.”
An independent nonprofit founded in 1919, the Institute of International Education is among the world's largest and most experienced international education and training organizations. The organization provides services to, and manages or administers programs for, many corporations, foundations, government agencies and international agencies. Each year more than 200 programs serve more than 20,000 individuals.
The Fulbright Scholar program has placed more than 44,000 scholars in more than 140 countries. More than 42,000 overseas scholars have visited U.S. colleges, universities and research institutions through the program. |
