Appointment to the Board of the Ireland-US Commission on Educational Exchange (“The Fulbright Commission”)

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified people for appointment to the Board of the Ireland-US Commission on Educational Exchange (“The Fulbright Commission”).

Under the terms of the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the USA) Act 1991, the persons appointed must be Irish citizens. The appointments will be made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, for a two-year term, which includes four annual meetings and expected participation on the Commission’s sub-committee(s). Members will serve on a part-time basis and do not receive remuneration. Expenses associated with attendance at Board meetings will be covered.

Successful applicants will be placed on a panel from which appointments to the Board will be made as they arise, having regard to balance of qualifications and skills, geography, academic discipline/expertise and Board diversity at the time of appointment.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade will not be restricted to considering only those who have expressed an interest but will also consider potential nominees with relevant qualifications for possible future openings on the Board.

The Fulbright Programme was established in 1957 and is the official educational exchange programme between the Governments of Ireland and the United States of America.

The Board has four Irish members and four members from the United States, appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and by the US Ambassador to Ireland respectively.

The Board has responsibility for ensuring the proper functioning and strategic development of the Programme, approving budgets, as well as approving the number of, and the level of funding for, the annual Irish and US scholarship awards.

Further information on the work of the Commission is available at fulbright.ie.

Persons interested in being considered for appointment as a Board Member should submit an application by close of business on Tuesday 23 April 2025 to FulbrightBoardEOI@dfa.ie.

Expressions of interest should be in the form of a cover letter (500 words maximum) accompanied by a Curriculum Vitae (to include 2 referees/references). Candidates will be assessed on the following criteria:

• Academic qualification
• Governance experience, including serving on boards
• Representation of Irish higher level educational institution
• Commitment to US-Ireland cultural exchange
• Knowledge/promotion of the Irish language
• Familiarity/previous engagement with Fulbright