Comment on FR Doc # 2026-13248
Katie JarvisOpposeIndividual
Summary: The commenter, a historian and former Fulbright alum, opposes the rescission of the International Education Programs Regulations. They argue that the current regulations are essential for ensuring transparency, fair competition, and scholarly integrity in the selection of high-quality international scholarship.
I strongly encourage the Department of Education to rescind its proposal to eliminate the regulations (34 CFR Parts 655, 656, 657, 658, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, and 669) governing the Title VI International Education Programs and Fulbright-Hays Programs. As a historian and alum of the Fulbright Program (France 2010-2011), I can attest how crucial these programs are to historical research, soft power, international scholarly collaboration, and the United States' international status as a leader in intellectual work. One of the main reasons why the Fulbright program has been such a success is because its application process is extremely competitive, ensuring that the highest quality scholarship is produced from these opportunities and that the United States elevates emerging scholars in international fields on an international stage. The existing regulations promote transparency, fair competition, and predictability. The proposed changes would eliminate regulations that provide the sole legal guarantees that federal funding be administer through a fair and intellectually rigorous review process, which would undercut both the scholarly integrity of the application process and the scholarly results of the program.