Ambassador’s Remarks at the USIEF 60th Foundation Day

I would like to second Adam's (Grotsky) welcome to this important celebration.

And I'd like to thank Foreign Minister Krishna and Under Secretary McHale for making the time to be with us this evening. Minister Krishna, we are particularly grateful to you for honoring this event with your presence, since you yourself are of course a Fulbright alumnus, and represent the shining future our current and future Fulbright-Nehru scholars can aspire to, and because the rich diversity of the Fulbright-Nehru program touches on all of the fields of Indo-US partnership which you and Secretary Clinton laid out when you established our strategic dialogue. Under Secretary McHale, a special welcome to you as well. The fact that you travelled from Washington especially to attend this event speaks volumes of the importance of this partnership to the US.

As U.S. Ambassador to India, it is my honor to serve as Honorary Co-Chairperson, along with Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, of the United States-India Educational Foundation. I believe, as do President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that education is an essential part of the Strategic Dialogue between the United States and India. The cumulative experiences of those Indians and Americans who have had the opportunity to study in the others' country are facilitating our partnership today in every field. The joint research and efforts of these scholars contributes to all areas of our strategic partnership. Thanks to this extraordinary truly binational program, the program includes scholars from both India and the US working in fields as diverse as rural health; environmental awareness and protection; our languages, histories, and cultures; food security; sustainable sources of clean energy; economics and economic development - the list is long and impressive. Through research and study in all of these areas and more, these scholars will help us to successfully address the challenges that face us.

I have long been committed to this idea that education is the key to a better future. During my years in Congress, I made education a priority, serving on the Education Committee of the House of Representatives and working to pass legislation that would help provide better opportunities for children to learn.

But my commitment to education is also very personal. Sally and I have four children of our own, and we tell our children every day how important it is to take advantage of the opportunities they have to study. But this focus on education did not start with Sally and me. In fact, my grandmother was an elementary school teacher, my grandfather a professor at Notre Dame, and both of my parents worked at Notre Dame, where I received my MA and PhD. So you can see this commitment runs deep!

As I travel through India, I have been indelibly marked by the importance Indian parents and children give to education as well. I have been honored to see young students studying English in our Access English language programs, poor students studying despite remarkable physical infrastructure problems, university students asking the most insightful and tough questions and proving their readiness to take on the mantle of leadership, researchers working on cutting edge solutions to environmental challenges, food security needs, and so much more. It is clear to me that we Americans and Indians share the belief and commitment to education to improve our futures.

I believe that it is by sharing experiences and working together that we will succeed in that effort. Educational exchange is of paramount importance. One of the benefits of my service as Ambassador is the opportunity it gives my children to experience another culture, to be exchange students themselves. Since we arrived last summer, Sally and I have taken every opportunity to travel with our kids and explore the different aspects of India. We have also made it a point to get out in Delhi and understand this city we live in. The chance to live in India will change my children forever. Similar experiences over the last 60 years have changed the lives of the more than 8,000 Fulbright scholars and will change the lives of future Fulbright-Nehru scholars. And their experiences have changed our two countries for the bette

For these reasons, the Government of the United States and the Government of India believe it is essential to support academic exchange for our students and scholars. We have committed our joint efforts to enhance and expand the number of Fulbright-Nehru fellowships.

For the last sixty years, USIEF has implemented the Fulbright exchange program in India, steadily increasing the prestige of this program and creating a body of alumni that have bonded the U.S.-India relationship in almost every field.

On behalf of the U.S. government and the USIEF Board of Directors, I want to thank Adam and the staff of USIEF for the wonderful job they are doing to promote mutual understanding between our two countries. I want to thank the Fulbright alumni and current Fulbright scholars for undertaking the exchanges that strengthen our two countries and for the strong support so many of you continue to give to USIEF. And I want to reiterate how excited all of us are to see these programs grow and broaden in scope into the future.

Introduction of U/S Judith Mc Hale

And now it is my pleasure to welcome to the podium Ms. Judith McHale, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the Department of State in Washington. In this position, which she assumed in May 2009, Ms. McHale oversees the State Department's outreach to people of the world through programs and press. She brings an impressive background in international communications to this job.

As the former President and CEO of Discovery Communications the parent company of the Discovery Channel, which many of you know well Ms. McHale was a leader in building this company into a renowned global media enterprise with 1.4 billion subscribers in 170 countries.

She forged partnerships around the world and created innovative strategies that focused on understanding and respecting different cultural contexts and tapping local voices to succeed in diverse markets.

She is the daughter of an American diplomat and her upbringing abroad helped inspire a life-long commitment to social justice. It is my pleasure to welcome Ms. Judith McHale to India and USIEF.