Speeches

Remarks by Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., Stephen Schwartz, at the
Annual Fulbright Program Dinner

Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Domaine Anna

Mrs. Issur-Goorah, Registrar, University of Mauritius;

Distinguished Guests;

Thank you very much for joining us this evening for what we hope will become an annual Fulbright Dinner.  It’s wonderful to participate in this pleasant event in these beautiful surroundings, and with such an illustrious group of U.S. university alumni.  We are here tonight not just for an evening of camaraderie with our fellow Fulbrighters, but also to honor five of your Fulbright colleagues who have recently completed their programs in the United States. Over the past twenty years, the U.S. Government has sent a total of 49 Mauritians to the U.S. under the Fulbright Junior Staff Development program and Senior African Research program.
  
As we honor these men and women this evening, I’d like us to think about the words of the late Senator J. William Fulbright who said:  "The Fulbright Program aims to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby to increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship."

Over the last sixty years the Fulbright Program has fostered understanding between cultures and people of different nations in order to promote respect for each other’s values and beliefs.  Senator Fulbright believed that if large numbers of people lived and studied in other countries, they would develop a deeper understanding of those countries, a greater appreciation for the diversity of humanity, a stronger distaste for war, and an more profound inclination for peace.  This program has strengthened ties between the peoples of the United States and Mauritius, and you represent and embody those ties.

I’d like to invite the following persons to join me at the podium for the presentation of their certificates:

Shielia P.K. Wong Kong Luong

Krishna Joy Heeramun

Sanjay Beesoon

Sushita  Gokool-Ramdoo

Uttam Kokil

I congratulate you all for your hard work and perseverance.  Having done it twice myself, I know that it’s not easy to study in a foreign country.  I commend each of you on your accomplishments.

I’d now like to congratulate our three Mauritian nominees who have been selected to participate in this year’s Fulbright program.  They are:

1. Mr. Ajay Ramful, Lecturer in Mathematics, Mauritius Institute of Education, for a PhD in Mathematics Education at University of Georgia;
2. Mr. Asish Seeboo, Lecturer in construction engineering and management, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Mauritius, for a Masters in Construction Engineering at Iowa State University, and
3. Mr. Prakash Khedun, Lecturer in water resources management, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Mauritius, for a PhD in Water Management and Hydrolic Science at Texas A&M University.

I wish you all great success in your Fulbright programs.

I’d also like to talk for a few minutes about the Mauritian Fulbright Alumni Association and the opportunities available on the State Department Alumni Association website:  www.State.Alumni.Gov

The Mauritian Fulbright Alumni Association was organized in 1989 to continue the legacy of the Fulbright Program in Mauritius.  It was organized to:

- increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Mauritius;
- continue research, exchanges, and professional development;
- and to assist the Fulbright Commission in disseminating information about the Fulbright program.
 
I commend your recent effort to revitalize your alumni association.  I encourage you to join with other Mauritian participants who have attended the Humphrey Program and the International Leadership Visitor Programs.  The State Alumni Association offers an opportunity to continue your exchange program in a virtual way after you have returned home.  The website is an online community of alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs.  It’s an opportunity for alumni to network with each other, develop your careers, stay in touch with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and   prolong your exchange experience.  There are small grants available to initiate social, economic, and political development projects. 

Alumni organizations play a critical role helping to explain America to Mauritians.  Having lived and studied in the United States, you can convey first hand experience about Americans and life in the U.S. and help combat stereotypes and misunderstandings others may have of America.  You are also the people best able to explain the American educational system to Mauritians.  We are interested in your ideas and suggestions and I ask you to share them with Victoria DeLong or Lise Punsin.

One of the many activities that recently took place on the State Alumni Website was a Webchat with Expedition 13 Commander, Pavel Vinogradov, and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer, Jeffrey Williams, onboard the International Space Station.  State Alumni joined in a live feed question and answer program just last Tuesday evening.  The State Alumni Association also publicized the volunteer work done at the recent Career and College Fair by Fulbrighters here in Mauritius.

Before I close, I’d like to recognize and thank our Cultural Affairs Assistant Lise Punsin for all the good work she has done coordinating with the University of Mauritius and the Fulbright Committee.  She has done an excellent job of liaising with potential Fulbright applicants, and students who are getting ready to depart for the United States and while they are pursuing their studies.  And, she is the key contact for our American Fulbrighters during their stay in Mauritius.

Good luck to you all, please enjoy the rest of the evening.