President George W. Bush has nominated University President Bob Bruininks to be one of 12 members of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, effective Sept. 23.

The board supervises the Fulbright program and selects students, scholars, teachers, trainees and others for educational exchange programs.

“It’s an area that I’ve had a great deal of interest in,” Bruininks said. “I’ve been quite interested in enhancing the University’s international profile.”

The board meets four times per year in Washington D.C. Bruininks will serve a three-year term if approved by Congress.

Former U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas introduced legislation to start the program, which was established in 1946, according to the program’s Web site. The program awards approximately 4,500 new grants annually.