In September of 1945, Senator J. William Fulbright introduced a bill in Congress that called for the use of proceeds from the sales of surplus war property to fund “the promotion of international goodwill through the exchange of scholars” in the fields of education, culture and science. One year later, President Harry S. Truman signed the Fulbright Act into law.
The first Fulbright scholar from Northern was historian David Wagner who spent the 1952-53 school year teaching and conducting research in Italy. Over the next 60+ years, some 130 Northern faculty have been chosen for this honor in 163 separate placements. In 1983, NIU ranked 17th in the nation in the number of Fulbright awards, ahead of the University of Illinois, Northwestern and the University of Chicago.
Since its inception, the Fulbright program has broadened its funding to include an annual appropriation from Congress, and expanded its initiatives to include various student exchange programs. Some 35 NIU students have received Fulbright scholarships to study abroad.
Click on photos to enlarge
