THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Aboard Air Force One)
_________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release November 13, 2000
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK, 2000
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Today we live in a global community, where all countries must work as
partners to promote peace and prosperity and to resolve international
problems. One of the surest ways to develop and strengthen such
partnerships is through international education programs.
These programs enable students to learn other languages, experience
other cultures, develop a broader understanding of global issues, and make
lasting friendships with their peers in other countries who will one day
guide the political, cultural, and economic development of their nations.
Some of America?s staunchest friends abroad are those who have experienced
our country firsthand as exchange students or who have been exposed to
American values through contact with American students and scholars
studying overseas.
Since World War II, the Federal Government has worked in partnership
with colleges, universities, and other educational organizations to sponsor
programs that help our citizens gain the international experience and
skills needed to meet the challenges of an increasingly interdependent
world. At the same time, American educational institutions have developed
study programs that attract students from all over the world to further
their education in the United States.
One of the largest and most renowned of these international education
initiatives is the Fulbright Program, which was founded by Senator J.
William Fulbright more than half a century ago. Since its inception, the
program has provided nearly a quarter of a million participants from the
United States and 140 other nations -- participants chosen for their
academic and profes-sional qualifications and leadership potential -- with
the opportunity to study and teach abroad and to gain knowledge
of global political, economic, and cultural institutions. As Senator
Fulbright envisioned, this program has proved to be a vital and positive
force for peace and understanding around the world.
To build on this tradition of excellence in international education, I
signed a memorandum in April of this year directing the heads of Executive
departments and agencies to work with educational institutions, State and
local governments, private organizations, and the business community to
develop a coordi-nated national policy on international education. We must
reaffirm our national commitment to encouraging students from other
countries to study in the United States, promote study abroad by U.S.
students, and support the exchange of teachers, scholars, and citizens at
all levels of society. By doing so, we can expand our citizens?
intellectual and cultural horizons, strengthen America?s economic
competitiveness, increase under-standing between nations and peoples, and,
as Senator Fulbright
so eloquently stated, direct "the enormous power of human knowledge to the
enrichment of our own lives and to the shaping of a rational and civilized
world order."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 13 through November
17, 2000, as International Education Week. I urge all Americans to observe
this week with events and programs that celebrate the benefits of
international education to our citizens, our economy, and the world.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
# # #
President and First Lady | Vice President and Mrs. Gore
Record of Progress | The Briefing Room
Gateway to Government | Contacting the White House | White House for Kids
White House History | White House Tours | Help
Privacy Statement