On Wednesday, all but one member of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned over alleged political interference by the Trump administration.
The Fulbright Program is a prestigious cultural exchange initiative funded by the U.S. government. It awards grants for U.S. students and scholars to study or conduct research abroad, and for foreign students and scholars to do the same in the U.S.
In an open letter, the board accused the Trump administration of “usurping” its authority to deny Fulbright awards to selected individuals and subjecting an additional 1,200 foreign recipients to an “unauthorized review process.” The board labeled these actions in conflict with the law.
“Effective immediately, members of the Congressionally mandated Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board voted overwhelmingly to resign from the board, rather than endorse unprecedented actions that we believe are impermissible under the law,” the letter said.
Several University students have received Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards in recent years. The University was recognized as a top producer for the 2023-24 academic year, with 15 students receiving awards, and eight more awarded for the 2024-25 cycle.
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The Daily Illini spoke with David Schug, director of the National and International Scholarships Program. One of his responsibilities is to help University students with their application to the Fulbright Program.
Schug’s application strategy amid ‘rule changes’
Schug has always approached Fulbright applications through a somewhat political lens. When assisting a student applying to study in India, he cautioned them to refrain from criticizing the Indian government.
“Their proposal was talking about how terrible the caste system was in India and that the government was not doing anything about it,” Schug said. “I talked to that student and said, ‘You realize that this is going to be reviewed in India by Indian government officials? Why would they want you to come to say bad things about their country?’”
Schug advised the student to rephrase the proposal in a way that was less inflammatory, allowing them to pursue the same topic. Instead of focusing on the failures of India’s caste system, the student could present their topic as an exploration of how the Indian government is supporting efforts to combat it.
Schug did not expect to need this approach domestically, but after the recent controversy, he plans to instruct students to use this same method to avoid getting screened by the Trump administration. Some phrases he says are reported to have been flagged include “diversity, equity and inclusion” and “climate change.” The Fulbright Commission in Norway claims finalists who wrote about these topics had their acceptances overturned.
“If the (Trump administration) does the same thing next year and they’re going to go through every application looking for things they don’t like … let’s be careful about how we talk about it,” Schug said. “You can study the same thing, but let’s not have it be so in your face.”
By screening applicants who use phrases the Trump administration disapproves of, Schug says that they changed the rules “in the middle of the game.”
“The current administration changed their evaluation of candidates,” Schug said. “Students were given parameters — here’s what Fulbright is looking for — and students in a good faith effort followed the directions. All of a sudden, things that were fine for students to write about last fall, in the middle of the competition … changed mid cycle and some students lost opportunities.”
The Trump administration referred to the board’s resignation as a “political stunt,” and claimed to have ultimate power over applications.
“It’s ridiculous to believe that these members would continue to have final say over the application process, especially when it comes to determining academic suitability and alignment with President Trump’s executive orders,” said a statement from the State Department.
Schug suspects, but does not know for certain, whether University students had their Fulbright application rejected due to the Trump administration’s policies since reviews are confidential.
There is no way for The Daily Illini to independently confirm whether University students had their applications rejected due to Trump administration policies.
Importance of the award
Schug views Fulbright awards as a way for students to get exposed to individuals in cultures different than their own.
“Anytime that people are put in situations where they’re different from others and they have a chance to converse, they’re going to learn more about one another, and not look at other people in other cultures as some monolith,” Schug said. “The Fulbright Program does that.”
Schug says American students return from the program to become bestselling authors, politicians and business CEOs, having spent time in a place where they were different, learning from and sharing with others.
“When you actually meet a person, you get to know them,” Schug said. “All of a sudden, where they’re from, their identity and how they look and their accents and all these external features you might have in your mind when you have a conversation with an individual … don’t seem to make as much sense because you just got to know an individual.”
