Fulbright Canada has remained active and focused during the global health emergency. Following a brief suspension of the program in April 2020, Fulbright Canada moved to a more flexible program model and pivoted to a number of online opportunities. We offered a series of webinars, featuring, inter alia, the work of our grantees and alumni and focusing on our commitment to ground-breaking research and issues relating to diversity, inclusion, and equity. At the same time, we paid particular attention to key themes, including, but not limited to, the following: indigenous issues, race and racialization, inclusion and access, Arctic and northern issues, social justice, and public policy. Most recently, we have introduced our increasingly popular podcast 'In Conversation With', a series of interviews with grantees and alumni.
A number of programs, including our core Fulbright grants, Youth Ambassador (YAP), the Fulbright Canada - Mitacs Globalink award, and our various alumni initiatives, were offered either as a hybrid or virtually in 2021.
Throughout this period, we have worked closely with grantees, the two governments, and key partners to allow for flexible grant periods, start and finish dates, and related accommodations.
We appointed Dr. Ralph Nilson as Fulbright Canada President Emeritus in Residence, we launched Honouring Nations Canada, we appointed two new Education USA advisors (one in Vancouver and one in Toronto), and we recently appointed Ms. Kim Samuel as Fulbright Canada Ambassador for Diversity and Social Connectedness.
We have resumed regularly programming for the Fulbright scholar and student programs in 2021/22, with some accomodations and, within the framework allowed by home and host universities, along with the guidance provided by public health authorities.
As of early January 2022, we are in the process of adjudicating applications and are set to launch the 2022/23 Fulbright program.
We very much welcome the input of our grantees, our alumni, our partners, and friends of Fulbright as we continue to navigate the challenging reality that is COVID-19.