MANILA, Philippines - The 2nd mid-year enrichment conference will bring together over 60 American Fulbright scholars to explore issues and concerns relating to contemporary Southeast Asia. Funded by the US Department of State and organized by the Philippine American Educational Foundation (PAEF), the conference, entitled “Southeast Asia in the 21st Century: Building a Community of Leaders,” will be held today and tomorrow, March 18-19, at the Garden Wing Ballroom in EDSA Shangri-la Hotel located at 1 Garden Way, Ortigas Centre, Mandaluyong City.
The conference will address a wide range of multidisciplinary scholarship on the Southeast Asia region in the areas of Social Science and Humanities, Business and Economics, Science and Technology, Teaching and Education, and Global Issues. American Fulbright Scholars, who have been awarded research and/or teaching fellowships through the Fulbright Program, will have the opportunity to share and present on their respective fields of study, research interests, and their roles as US cultural ambassadors in their host countries. Scholars will be arriving from Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
“By providing an avenue for Fulbright scholars to showcase their research, not only are their leadership skills enhanced, but also their coming together can strengthen their sense of community while accomplishing the main purpose of the Fulbright Program — which is to promote mutual understanding and respect between the peoples of the US and other countries through educational exchange,” says Esmeralda Cunanan, PAEF executive director.