Educational Exchanges Between U.S. and Spain

The history of educational exchange between the U.S. and Spain is yet to be written since no person or institution has completed a definitive and exhaustive study. Studies that may have been undertaken are by now outdated because they failed to take into account the extraordinary growth in educational exchange between the two countries during the last twenty-five years, especially during the 1980s.

I will attempt to summarize the history of exchanges from the Spanish perspective and present the current status of educational cooperation between the two countries. The Commission for Cultural, Educational and Scientific Cooperation between the United States and Spain is responsible for administering the Fulbright Program and has been the focal point of educational exchange for close to forty-five years. I am honored to be its Executive Director.

Educational exchange, as we know it today, began in Spain in 1907 with the creation of the Junta de Ampliación de Estudios, loosely translated as the Study Abroad Council. This initiative allowed promising young people to visit and study abroad, many of whom later became part of the intellectual history of Spain. Among them was José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955), perhaps the most universally known Spanish philosopher of the twentieth century.

It is interesting to note that Spain was the first European nation to create an institution like the Junta de Ampliación de Estudios to promote university exchanges. The timeframe also coincides with the beginning of what is known as the Silver Age of Spanish culture, by analogy to the rich Golden Age of the Spanish baroque period. It was also at this time that the Rockefeller Foundation, which had been promoting exchanges since the 1920s, financed the establishment of the Physics Institute in Madrid. Albert Einstein was the most famous of visitors to this institution. In 1934, the Summer University was founded in Santander to gather international academics in seminars and workshops that attracted leading intellectuals of Western culture, and which continues this same mission today at the Universidad Internacional Menéndez y Pelayo. Unfortunately, these initiatives were tragically cut short by the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). World War II and the consequent political environment left Spain isolated and cut off the flow of intellectual exchanges.

Nonetheless, exchanges between the U.S. and Spain had never been particularly consistent, even though a romantic vision of Spain had become quite popular in the U.S. through XIX century authors such as Washington Irving and transcended into literary and cultural circles by the beginning of the 20^th century. Furthermore, the history of diplomatic relations between both countries became one of misunderstandings as evidenced by the Spanish-American War that would leave its mark on relations until well into the twentieth century.

It was not until the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower when bilateral relations were revived with the signing of the Economic and Military Agreement in 1953. In 1958, the Cultural and Educational Cooperation Agreement between the United States and Spain was signed which allowed Spain to join the worldwide Fulbright Program. One year later, Senator J. William Fulbright (1905-1995) became the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and President Eisenhower the first American president to ever visit Spain.

“Any isolation separating both societies during the 1940s and 1950s became part of the past in the 1960s. Contacts between the two multiplied in trade, politics, literature, academic affairs, and military activities. The Spanish government led the way by encouraging closer cultural bonds as a means to furthering political and economic intimacy”. (1) (Cortada, 249).

The Instituto de Cultura Hispánica, literally translated as the Institute of Hispanic Culture also played a significant role in the development and promotion of educational and cultural relations between the two countries. By 1968, the Institute had subsidized more than 7,000 travel grants between Spain and the U.S. Thanks to this financing, Spanish professors were given opportunities to pay short-term visits to U.S. universities, and perhaps more importantly, 1,500 American students and professors enrolled in classes organized by the Institute. These participants benefited from Institute sponsorship at a time in which this financing was virtually the only available resource to visit Spain.

Educational exchange reached a new dimension with the launching of the Fulbright Program in 1946. J. William Fulbright, at that time, was a young senator from Arkansas who demonstrated the vision that would turn him into one of the most important and charismatic legislators of his time. He ingeniously introduced legislation that would give birth to the program that bears his name, and has become the flagship exchange program supported by the U.S.

In fact, the program began in 1948 when students from China, Burma and the Philippines visited the U.S. and 47 Americans went abroad. Exchanges with most of Europe would begin immediately after; however, Spaniards would not participate until a decade later.

The Fulbright Program started in Spain at an opportune time and was gladly anticipated and welcomed. The binational administration of the Program as established by the Agreement of 1958, guaranteed Spanish candidates an impartial selection process, far removed from the day-to-day political scenario, and American grantees, the necessary protection to freely move through the maze of archives and libraries throughout the country.

The Commission Board, both then and now, is comprised of high-ranking diplomatic representatives of the U.S. Embassy and leading U.S. citizens residing in Spain who are appointed by the U.S. Ambassador; and, by top Spanish government officials chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and appointed by the Minister. From the beginning, the Commission Board has been an independent policy-making body and completely autonomous.

The first Spaniards who participated returned loaded down with new ideas, methodologies, and knowledge as well as the unforgettable experience of having known a democratic and ethnically diverse society with impressive universities and academic resources. As for academic disciplines, during the first ten years of the Fulbright Program, most grantees were in the fields of the physical and social sciences.

The first Americans, who began arriving in Spain after 1960, found an economically poor country with no political freedom that fascinated them by its landscape, rich cultural traditions and recent history, all of which invoked study and reflection. This initial group of American grantees has become a reference point for those who wish to study the reality of Spain during the first half of the twentieth century. Two outstanding examples are Professor Gabriel Jackson, Board member of the Commission and author, among other writings of “The Spanish Republic and Civil War” (1976); and Professor Edward Malefakis, author of “Agrarian Reform and Peasant Revolution in Spain” (1970).

During the Kennedy administration, the Fulbright Program reached a significant level of financing that would not repeat itself until Jimmy Carter became president. Between these two administrations, the U.S. was engrossed in the drama of the Vietnam War and financing for international educational exchange had become low priority in the budget of the U.S. Congress.

Meanwhile in Spain, interest in sending promising scholars to further studies or research continued to grow, but the program would have dangerously diminished had it not been for the economic support of the so-called Bases Agreement.

This commonly known Bases Agreement resulted from the signing in 1976 of the Treaty of Friendship, Defense and Cooperation between the United States and Spain, the first of three agreements. The agreement provided significant amounts of money for cooperation in cultural and educational fields as well as in scientific and technological areas. These activities were budgeted separately but administered “Fulbright-style” and housed within the Commission and directed by my predecessor. In this manner, the Fulbright Program indirectly received extraordinary support and increased opportunities for advanced study by Spanish scientists, collaborative projects of mutual interest to Spaniards and Americans, short-term university exchanges and other cultural activities, all of which enhanced relations between the two countries and complemented the original Fulbright program.

As a result, by the end of the 1970s, a large number of university professors and university presidents had studied in the U.S. thanks to Fulbright grants or awards administered by the Commission and financed by the Bases Agreement.

On the other hand, the economic boom that Spain had experienced in the 1960s and early 1970s – just until the international oil crisis of the mid-1970s – had allowed for the initiation of political openness and called for investing in the education of a new elite. In the early 1980s, the Fulbright program was identified by a Basque bank and a Catalonian one as the perfect vehicle to enhance their image, thus sponsoring an extraordinary number of grants during the following years.

During the 1980s, Spain experienced a dramatic process of political reform, from the dictatorship of General Franco to a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. Some argue that changes had begun before Franco’s death and had a long way to go at the beginning of democracy.

The political transition that officially began in 1975 overlooked a generation of Spaniards that had basically been educated only in Spain. The Socialist Party that came to power in the 1980s included in its ranks many leaders who had been Fulbrighters. One of them, Javier Solana, served as Minister three times during the socialists’ rule, and became better known outside of Spain as Secretary General of NATO (1995-1999) and since 1999, as the European Union Foreign Policy Chief.

The present ruling party which defines itself as center-right on the political spectrum, also includes key members who have been Fulbright grantees, among them the Minister of Education, Pilar del Castillo, who like her socialist predecessor in the 1980s, has initiated profound reform in the university system.

A strong case can be made that changes, which have taken place in Spain over the last thirty years, were influenced, if not shaped, by the efforts of those who studied in the United States, the majority of whom had Fulbright grants. This argument is only further proof that Fulbright grants continue to be one of the world’s most prestigious and also most influential in the education of future leaders, which has also been the case in many other countries.

The Commission has awarded more than 5000 grants in less than 45 years, of which the majority has been for Spaniards. Most Americans have come to Spain as graduate students, although the Commission hosts annually some professors, senior researchers and professionals.

The signing in 1994 of the Agreement between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain for Educational, Cultural and Scientific Cooperation created the present Commission. The Agreement establishes a Core Program, equally financed by both governments; and Complementary Programs, financed separately and including exchange activities of special interest to either of the signing governments. The Commission maintains its sovereignty, determines priority activities or the creation of new programs of mutual interest, all within the spirit of the Agreement. Above all, activities must fulfill the basic mission of strengthening knowledge between the peoples of both countries and bringing together citizens through mutual educational experiences.

The Commission awards annually around 100 grants to Spaniards who wish to further studies in the U.S. and an average of 60 for U.S. citizens in Spain. Grants are generously funded, although those for Spaniards are not expected to exceed $45,000 per year. The annual Commission budget is approximately $5 million and the most important sponsor, the Ministry of Education, followed by the U.S. Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In recent years, private sponsorship comprises 20% of the annual budget with 85% of this amount being directly spent on grants. A part is also used to provide educational advising services to the general public.

The Commission is fortunate to rely on generous collaboration from both individuals and institutions. Of these, it is important to point out the Board members who actively participate in Commission activities and program development as well as hundreds of former grantees who voluntarily dedicate many hours for peer review and candidate evaluation. Among institutions, acknowledgements are due to: the Agencia Nacional de Evaluación y Prospectiva (National Review Board) of the Ministry of Science and Technology; the Council for International Exchange of Scholars; the Institute of International Education, and hundreds of universities from both countries that have made possible the existence of this Program over the years.

In recent years, various public and private institutions have developed grant programs to further studies in the U.S., although the Ministry of Education continues to be the main provider of grants, especially for postdoctoral research. There are some foundations, like the Ramon Areces Foundation, created in honor of the founder of El Corte Inglés, the largest department store chain in Spain (both institutions are Commission sponsors) and Barrié de la Maza in Galicia that allocate annual budgets for study abroad, including the U.S. La Caixa, a savings association from Barcelona, and other banks also offer grants for foreign study. Of these, the Santander Central Hispano, a major bank in Spain, is an important Commission sponsor.

Other institutions have created permanent links with U.S. universities. Two private sector sponsors have funded chairs at Georgetown University and the University of New Mexico. Likewise, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid has established a permanent center at Harvard University and New York University created the Juan Carlos I Center. All of these initiatives illustrate the fact that educational relations between both countries are presently active and healthy.

I would like to say in conclusion that, over many years and into the present, the Fulbright Program has been at the center of cultural and educational cooperation between the U.S. and Spain. As we have moved into the new millenium, there are even more institutions – public and private – that are engaged in this same activity. At times, one is concerned that there is too much overlapping and duplication of effort. But, educational exchange, as Senator Fulbright rightly predicted, is crucial to mutual understanding among countries and therefore crucial to peace among nations. It is my firm belief that there can never be an excess of educational exchange, albeit if the Fulbright model, in my view, is a sure guarantee to success.

References:

1. Cortada, James W. "Two Nations over Time: Spain and the United States". Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1978.

2. Malefakis, Edward. “The Fulbright Program in Spain: the First Third of a Century”. (Delivered on the occasion of the XXXV Anniversary celebration of the founding of the Comisión Fulbright in Spain, at which the Prince of Asturias was made an honorary Fulbright grantee), 1993.

3. Jarque Íñiguez, Arturo. "Queremos esas bases: El acercamiento de Estados Unidos a la España de Franco". Universidad de Alcalá. Centro de Estudios Norteamericanos, 1998.

Article written by the U.S.-Spain Fulbright Commission in October 2001

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