Evening star., 1947-12-14
Truman Board Set Up
To Select Hundreds
For Study Abroad

For Study Abroad
President Truman's Board of
Foreign Scholarships set up machi-
merry yesterday to start selecting the
hundreds of students and teachers
expected to attend foreign unfver-
sites with expenses paid from the
sale Of American war surplus abroad.
The board members heard How
land Sergeant. Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State. say they were
launching "the greatest educational
experiment the world has ever SEEN"
Senator Fulbright, Democrat Of
Arkansas, former Rhodes scholar
and sponsor of the plan, said:
This exchange Of students and
teachers will do more to bring about
friendly understanding between the
people of the United States and
those of other fountries than the
Marshall plan or any other kind of
aid"
May Send 1900 Abroad.
It has been estimated that funds
available under the Fulbright plan
will total $140,O0o,000. Expenditure
Of $7,000,0o0 a year in a 2O-year
program. it has been estimated,
would keep 1900 students and teach
ers abroad and transport an addi-
tional number to this country.
The Fulbright plan includes pur-
chases of steamship tickets at
foreign ports with foreign currency
from the sale of surplus to send
students and teachers here. Their
tuition or maintenance here must
be paid for in dollars. 1t is not
the intention of sponsors of the
plan to have it deplete dollar bal
ances. abroad. A companion piece
Of legislation introduced by Rep
resentative Mundt, Republican, of
South Dakota, which authorizes ap-
preparations from the Treasury for
this purpose, has passed the House
and Is pending in the Senate.
The board elected Francis Trow
Spaulding, New York State Com
missioner of Education, chairman,
and Helen white. professor of Eng
ish at the University of Wisconsin,
vice chairman. They will serve for
q two-year period.
Selection Plans Adopted.
Plans submitted from three
sources were adopted for the selec-
ton of Americans to go abroad
under the program.
The plans were from the Institute
Of international Education, which
will select students; the United
States Office of Education, which
will select teachers, and the Associ-
ated Research Councils, which will
select research workers. The Presi-
dents board will make final selec-
tons in each category.
The institute suggested establish
ment of 10 regional committees of
five members with paid headquar-
ters staff of three persons. 1t SUBJ
mitted a budget that would mount
to $246,800 year when the plan
gets into full operation. The re-
gional committees would receive
applications from students, inter-
view the most promising and recon-
mend panels to the Presidents !.
board, which would make the final
selection.
Regional Visits Urged.
The Office of Education suggested
regional committees In Boston, Phil-
adelphia, Atlanta. Chicago, Des
Moines, Dallas, Los Angeles and
Portland, Greg, for selection of
teachers. It submitted 1949
budget Of $65,712.
The Associated Research Coun-
cils recommended that grants in
its field go to candidates for the
degree Of Ph.D. or Sc. D.
The Fulbright Act can finance
activities Of or for American citi-
zers" abroad. Thus it can pay the
cost Of American technicians teach
ing abroad.
Francis Colligan of the State De-
partment. who is assistant execu-
tive secretary of the Presidents
board reported this was the fea-
ture OF the plan that he found of
the greatest interest in a European
trip he has just completed for the
board. He said Greece and France
wanted agricultural experts to
teach American methods. England
was most interested in the possibil-
ity of American professors of med
icine lecturing there.
THE European educational plant"
he said in answer to a question,
'1s as crowded as our own. I
found that there are $4,000 univer-
sity students in Paris, $4,000 in
Rome, and even in stricken Athens
there we're 10000. such is their
expandibility, however, with their
lecture system and lack of exami-
nations. that they could take addi-
tional American students-and they