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U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
Media Note
December 20, 2000
United States and European Community Renew Agreement on
"Program of Cooperation in Higher Education and Vocational Education and
Training"
As part of the U.S.-E.U. summit December 18, Secretary of State Madeleine K.
Albright, European Community External Affairs Commissioner Christopher Patten,
and French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine signed the U.S.-E.C. "Program of
Cooperation in Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training" at Blair
House in Washington, D.C. This agreement, following a similar accord signed in
1995 by USIA Director Joseph Duffey and Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley,
renews for five years a program of cooperation by U.S. and E.U. institutions of
higher education and vocational education and training. It bolsters the
Department of State's U.S.-EC Fulbright exchange program and furthers the aims
of various international educational consortia co-sponsored by the Department of
Education.
Secretary Albright and Secretary Riley underscored the importance of the
agreement in remarks about its significance in the context of the President's
International Education Policy. Secretary Riley emphasized that this agreement
was part of what his Department terms "educational diplomacy."
Commissioner Patten and Foreign Minister Vedrine both welcomed the
strengthening of transatlantic bonds through educational and vocational
exchange.
The signing of the agreement was the culmination of nine months of
negotiation and planning by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs' Office of Policy and Evaluation, working with the Bureau's
European Fulbright Branch, the State Department's Office of the Legal Advisor
and Bureau of European Affairs, USEU PA, the Department of Education, and the
European Union.
The flagship international educational program sponsored by the United States
Government, widely known as the Fulbright Program, is designed to "increase
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of
other countries..." With this goal as a starting point, the Fulbright Program
has provided more than 230,000 participants - chosen for their leadership
potential - with the opportunity to observe each others' political, economic and
cultural institutions, exchange ideas, and embark on joint ventures of
importance to the general welfare of the world's inhabitants.
April 19, 2000-President Clinton signed the "Memorandum on International
Education Policy." The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of
Education are working in partnership to implement this policy and prepare
American citizens for a global environment while continuing to attract and
educate future leaders from abroad.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Sam Westgate
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of
Policy and Evaluation
Phone (202) 619-5305
E-mail swestgat@pd.state.gov
[end of document]
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