December 31, 2015

President Obama Celebrates 75 Years of Exchange Programs

Dear Alumni,

This month marks the 75th anniversary of U.S. Department of State-sponsored international exchange programs.  In December 1940, Father Aurelio Espinosa Pólit, Director of the Colegio de Cotocollao in Quito, Ecuador, touched down in New York to visit several of our nation’s most prestigious universities, on what would later become the International Visitor Leadership Program.  Since then, the State Department has fostered mutual understanding around the world through people-to-people exchange programs, reaching more than one million participants worldwide.  We’re incredibly proud of our alumni network, which includes 422 current or former heads of state, 105 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 Nobel laureates, and countless leaders across the private and nonprofit sectors.

I want to personally thank each of you for helping the State Department tell our story this past year as we celebrated such an important milestone in public diplomacy.  The last 75 years would not have been possible without you, our partners, and the citizen diplomats that are part of our exchange community.  President Obama values your critical work, and in recognition, has issued a letter of congratulations (you can download the letter here) to everyone who has helped build lasting connections among people around the world through international exchange.  Please share his attached message broadly with your networks, and pass along our appreciation for their invaluable work on these programs.

Thank you for your commitment to U.S. public diplomacy.  Here’s to the next 75 years!

Best,

Evan Ryan
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
U.S. Department of State