Senator John Kerry is a Great Choice for Secretary of State

Today, President Obama nominated our long-serving Massachusetts Senator, John Kerry, as his choice for Secretary of State, to replace Hillary Clinton who will be stepping down. She issued a statement commending this choice.

I remember fondly hearing from Senator Kerry when I received my first Fulbright. He wrote me a letter of congratulations. He did not need to do this but the fact that he noticed, cared, and took the time to do this thoughtful act, despite his very busy schedule, speaks to his value of international exchange programs such as the Fulbright program. The Fulbright program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by CIES, a division of the Institute of International Education. How appropriate that, if approved, and all should go smoothly, he will be the Secretary of State and will even oversee the Fulbright Program!

Some reflections, with photos,  on my first Fulbright, which was as a Distinguished Chair in Economics at the SOWI Business School at the University of Innsbruck, Austria were published on the Fulbright Scholar Program website.  I had this Fulbright just over a decade ago and also served as a Senior Fulbright Specialist in Business Administration, more recently, in 2008, at the University of Catania in Italy.