Learn about how the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs was started.
Created by ecawebsitesmail on Sep 30, 2010
Last updated: 09/30/10 at 04:55 PM
The International Visitor Leadership Program celebrates its 70th Anniversary!
2008 – ExchangesConnect (Connect.State.Gov) debuts as the first social network of the U.S. government.
http://connect.state.gov
The Bush administration launches the National Security Language Initiative, including ECA’s NSLI-Y initiative focused on American youth.
http://exchanges.state.gov/youth/programs/nsli.html
ECA establishes the Office of Alumni Affairs and the Alumni.State.Gov network.
http://alumni.state.gov
Congress creates the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
http://exchanges.state.gov/heritage/afcp.html
USIA moves into the State Department where exchange programs and other USIA components comprise the department’s new Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), which maintains its authority under the Fulbright-Hays Act.
Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program is established.
http://exchanges.state.gov/youth/programs/flex.html
Congress creates the Cultural Property Advisory Committee to help stem illicit
trafficking in cultural property. The CPAC secretariat is housed in ECA.
http://exchanges.state.gov/heritage/culprop/committee.html
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program begins.
http://exchanges.state.gov/youth/programs/cbyx.html
President Reagan changes USICA’s name back to USIA
President Carter initiates the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program.
http://exchanges.state.gov/globalexchanges/humphrey-fellowship.html
President Carter approves a major reorganization of USIA, combining it with the department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to become the United States International Communication Agency (USICA).
English Teaching Forum magazine is launched.
http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/forum-journal.html
Congress passes the Fulbright-Hays Act to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. By the end of the year, a Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is established in the Department of State under an assistant secretary.
The exchange function is separated from the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs and is assigned to a newly created Bureau of Educational and Cultural Relations (CU).
President Eisenhower establishes the United States Information Agency (USIA) to consolidate information functions administered by the State Department and other agencies. Educational and cultural exchanges remain within the State Department.
International Visitor Program formally established to engage professionals, intellectuals and opinion leaders in the political and social infrastructure.
Rep. Karl Mundt and Sen. H. Alexander Smith introduce the Smith-Mundt Act,
establishing a statutory information agency to "promote a better understanding of the United States in other countries, and to increase mutual understanding" between Americans and foreigners. The Smith-Mundt Act gives full recognition to the importance of educational and cultural exchanges sponsored by the government.
http://vlex.com/source/us-code-foreign-relations-intercous-1021/toc/19
OIC is renamed the Office of International Information and Educational Exchange.
President Truman terminates OWI, one section is placed within the Department of State as the Office of International Information and Cultural Affairs (OIC). OIC has a network of 76 branches worldwide; 67 information centers and libraries stock books, display exhibits and show films.
Fulbright Program is established.
Office of War Information (OWI) is established to consolidate scattered agencies of domestic and foreign information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Office_of_War_Information
Nelson Rockefeller named coordinator of Commercial and Cultural Affairs for the American Republics where he initiates the exchange of persons program with Latin America, inviting 130 Latin American journalists to the United States.
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