Fulbright Chronicles, Volume 4, Number 1 (2025)
Author
Bruce B. Svare, Habiba I. Atta, Melanie C. Brooks, and Kevin F. F. Quigley
As we wrote in our last issue, this third year of the Fulbright Chronicles would be a year of major milestones and significant changes. This issue marks another important transition. We announce with great enthusiasm that we are now a completely independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization registered in the United States as The Fulbright Chronicles Foundation.
We are grateful for the previous in-kind support we received from the United Kingdom Fulbright Commission, but it was time to spread our wings and strike out on our own. At the forefront of this decision was our desire to more fully represent the scholarly activities and important work of Fulbright alumni from around the world, and to do so without any possible restraint that would compromise freedom of expression.
Along with our new independent status is the responsibility to our readers to press forward with our mission to focus on the impact of the incredible work that Fulbright alumni do around the world. This independent status lets the Chronicles play a greater role in advocacy for the Fulbright Program itself. We will perform both roles responsibly and with integrity.
If we are to survive as an independent journal that is freely accessible and does not use subscription or submission fees, page charges or a paywall, we ask that you help underwrite our costs.
As our readers know, these are perilous times for international exchange programs, and we need to fight for their survival. We must also actively support efforts that increase our understanding of important threats to our world including lack of education, discrimination, extreme inequality, demographic explosion, climate change, mass migration, violence, and poverty, among other issues. These times demand that Fulbrighters continue their important work to engage in strategic and culturally sensitive scholarship that is done collaboratively and addresses important global issues affecting all of humankind.
As an independent journal, we are reliant upon donations to publish this journal. We are an all-volunteer, internationally represented, Fulbright alumni group that is committed to giving back to the Fulbright exchange program. None of us are paid; we need funds to handle the expenses involved with hosting, archiving, creating and loading content to our website.
If we are to survive as an independent journal that is freely accessible and does not use subscription or submission fees, page charges or a paywall, we ask that you help underwrite our costs. Please let us know that you value the mission of Fulbright Chronicles and the independent, professional product that is published. You can seamlessly donate on our website (www.fulbright-chronicles.com). We will be grateful for any level of support that you can provide.
In this period of transition for Fulbright Chronicles, it is fitting that the present edition of the journal is a themed issue addressing artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact upon education and the social sciences. Masterfully edited by two of our associate editors, Jose Caetano and Polat Goktas, this issue is a diverse collection of commentaries from Fulbright alumni representing many different disciplines and regions of the world. The topic is one that is critically important for just about everything we do. Our readers will find their commentaries to be insightful and stimulating as we try to navigate the relentless impact of AI on our lives. Because AI is such a new topic for everyone including Fulbright alumni, you will note that these articles are less about our stated goal of examining/representing the impact of the Fulbright experience and more about the reflections of the authors on where the field of AI is going in the future. Please read the introduction to this issue by Jose and Polat before diving into the individual articles.
This issue also provides book reviews regarding various topics in AI. The books, authored by Fulbrighters and reviewed by Fulbright alumni, are a testament to the impact of AI on our world today.
As we look forward to the “new” era of Fulbright Chronicles, we know that we can depend upon our readers for input and support. Together, we can continue the mission of the journal to present the best of the Fulbright Program and the scholarship and leadership that its alumni consistently advance. Please enjoy this special issue and stay connected to Fulbright Chronicles!