**The Fulbright program's board resigns in protest against political interference, highlighting concerns over the integrity of international educational exchanges.**
**Fulbright Board Resignation Signals Growing Tensions with Trump Administration**
**Fulbright Board Resignation Signals Growing Tensions with Trump Administration**
**Political appointees at the State Department are accused of unjustly canceling scholarship awards aimed at American educators and researchers.**
The crisis surrounding the Fulbright program escalated on June 11, 2025, as the board, which oversees the prestigious educational exchange initiative, announced its resignation due to allegations of political meddling by the Trump administration. According to a leaked draft memo referenced by the New York Times, the board expressed deep concern over the legality and motivations behind the State Department’s recent decision to revoke nearly 200 Fulbright scholarships aimed at American professors and researchers.
The resigning members, including Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire, argued that political appointees were unlawfully cancelling scholarship opportunities based on the specific research topics of applicants. This shift occurred after a comprehensive selection process that spanned the previous year, during which the board had already approved the candidates. The State Department was expected to issue acceptance letters by April, but instead, rejection notices have been distributed.
Furthermore, the department is also conducting reviews of approximately 1,200 foreign scholars who had already been accepted into the Fulbright program, with similar acceptance communications expected around the same timeframe. The draft memorandum from the board described the members' resignation as a necessary action to distance themselves from what they termed “unprecedented actions” that jeopardize U.S. national interests and undermine the foundational mission of the Fulbright program, established nearly eight decades ago by Congress.
Following their announcement, the board intends to publicly reveal their memo and has already submitted their resignation letter to the White House. Their exit raises alarms about the future of academic exchange and the freedoms of expression and research within U.S. international relations.
The resigning members, including Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire, argued that political appointees were unlawfully cancelling scholarship opportunities based on the specific research topics of applicants. This shift occurred after a comprehensive selection process that spanned the previous year, during which the board had already approved the candidates. The State Department was expected to issue acceptance letters by April, but instead, rejection notices have been distributed.
Furthermore, the department is also conducting reviews of approximately 1,200 foreign scholars who had already been accepted into the Fulbright program, with similar acceptance communications expected around the same timeframe. The draft memorandum from the board described the members' resignation as a necessary action to distance themselves from what they termed “unprecedented actions” that jeopardize U.S. national interests and undermine the foundational mission of the Fulbright program, established nearly eight decades ago by Congress.
Following their announcement, the board intends to publicly reveal their memo and has already submitted their resignation letter to the White House. Their exit raises alarms about the future of academic exchange and the freedoms of expression and research within U.S. international relations.
