Continuing its national outreach campaign, the Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt was warmly received at Benha National University this May, where the Commission's leadership met with the university's most senior figures to chart how Fulbright exchange might serve a new generation of scholars in the Delta.
The Co-Chairs of the University's Board of Trustees, Dr. Gamal El Saeed and Dr. Soheir Elsharawy, welcomed the Fulbright Egypt team. The delegation was led by Dr. Maggie Nassif, the Commission's Executive Director, accompanied by Ms. Noha Salah, Senior Program Officer — a level of representation that underscored the importance the Commission attaches to building durable institutional partnerships with Egypt's national universities.
The meeting was also attended by the University President, Dr. Tamer Samir, and Vice Presidents Dr. Hussein Maghraby and Dr. Mahmoud Shakal, together with the directors of the university's academic programs. Their presence signalled a shared appetite to connect Benha's students and faculty with the international opportunities the Fulbright Program makes possible.
Discussions focused on the full spectrum of Fulbright opportunities available to Egyptians. These include Master's degree and PhD grants, post-doctoral research awards, and the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship for mid-career professionals, as well as dedicated grants for artists and teachers. The conversation explored how each of these pathways might be matched to the strengths and ambitions of Benha's academic community.
When the leadership of a national university and the Fulbright Commission sit at the same table, the result is more than a single visit — it is the beginning of a pipeline that can carry talented Egyptians abroad and bring their expertise back home.
Following the meeting with university leadership, the Commission held an information session devoted to the practical questions students and researchers most often ask: who is eligible, how the application process works, and what it takes to travel to the United States to study and conduct scientific research. The session gave attendees a clear, first-hand sense of how the Fulbright opportunity could fit into their own academic plans.
Since its establishment in 1949, the Commission — the oldest and largest Fulbright program in the Arab world — has sustained its mission by meeting Egypt's universities where they are. The visit to Benha National University formed part of a wider season of outreach that has taken the Fulbright team to campuses across the country, each conversation widening the circle of those who can imagine a Fulbright future for themselves.
