Rabat – Rebecca Geffner, the Executive Director of the United States Fulbright Program in Morocco renewed the importance of cultural exchanges as well as cooperation between Morocco and the US in a new interview published today.
Emphasizing the importance of this cooperation, Geffner told state media MAP that Morocco is “one of the closest and oldest allies of the US.”
“Our friendship dates back to the very foundation of the United States. Every day, we witness and experience the depth and strength of this relationship,” she said.
Last week on Thursday, the Moroccan embassy in Washington D.C. paid tribute to the academic excellence of Moroccan and American recipients of the 2024 Fulbright Morocco Program.
Geffner along with academics and scholars as well as Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, Youssef Amrani, attended the ceremony.
“The impact of this exchange goes beyond research collaborations and academia, creating rich connections between our Moroccan Fulbright scholars and their climates in the United States as well as between our American Fulbright scholars and their communities in Morocco,” Geffener said.
Commenting on the awardees, Geffner described them as cultural ambassadors that “dispel misconceptions” about certain cultures and regions.
She added that they also provide their American counterparts with “a genuine insight into Moroccan culture and traditions, and vice versa.”
The executive director also discussed the impact of the Fulbright program, highlighting that the investments put on such initiatives create several opportunities for students.
She said that Moroccan Fulbright scholars return from the US with master’s degrees, expanded teaching practices, as well as professional experience in multinational companies.
“They are well-positioned to positively influence Morocco’s development,” she said, noting that the program’s impact goes “beyond research collaboration and academia.” She alluded to the fact that these programs create opportunities for rich connections between Moroccan Fulbright scholars and their communities in the US as well as between American Fulbright scholars and their communities in Morocco.
Last week, Morocco’s ambassador to the US also emphasized the importance of academic and cultural exchanges between the two countries, noting that they serve as a bridge of understanding.
“Morocco and the United States share a long history of diplomatic relations and cultural exchanges. It is through these exchanges that we have the opportunity to deepen our mutual understanding of the cultures, traditions, and perspectives of both countries,” the ambassador said.
The Fulbright program enables students, especially graduate scholars and professionals, from abroad to study and conduct research in the US, and those from the US to go abroad.
For the Morocco edition, American scholars are partnered with the Moroccan-American Commission for Educational & Cultural Exchange (MACECE) and sent to teach in universities and schools across the country.
Moroccan scholars can apply through the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, where around 900 faculty and professionals from around the world are placed on exchanges to teach or conduct research at US universities.
