We bid a heartfelt farewell to Justyna Janiszewska, Executive Director of the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission. After more than eight years of dedicated service to our organization, she has decided to pursue new challenges as of November 1st, 2024.
Justyna joined the Commission in May 2016, and under her leadership, both the Fulbright Program in Poland and our team have grown and evolved significantly.
During her tenure, we established several important partnerships with institutions, such as:
- Stanford University, which led to the creation of the Fulbright Research Award at Stanford University School of Medicine in collaboration with Rogala Lab. This award is aimed at PhD candidates who wish to conduct research at Rogala Lab, focused on studying proteins and their functions in the human body.
- University of Notre Dame, with whom we launched the Graduate Student Award LLM in International Human Rights Law, enabling students to pursue an LLM at the University of Notre Dame Law School with specialization in human rights.
- The National Science Centre, which allows Senior Award grantees to receive funding for a research component upon their return. This initiative facilitates the continuation of scientific collaboration with U.S. partners after completing their Fulbright grants.
- Adam Mickiewicz University, where we established the Fulbright Writer-in-Residence Award – the first initiative of its kind in the history of Polish higher education, directly affiliated with the university. Created by the Center for Literary Affirmation at AMU and co-funded by AMU and the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission, the residency is open to U.S. writers at any stage of their career.
- The Ohio State University in Columbus, which joined our partner institutions for the Fulbright Slavic Award, a semester-long teaching fellowship for scholars with research interests in the culture (literature, media, art), history, politics, or economics of Poland and Central and Eastern Europe.
We also introduced several successful new initiatives, including:
- The Fulbright STEM Impact Award, which enables STEM specialists to undertake short-term research trips to the U.S.
- TopMinds Program, organized in collaboration with the Top 500 Innovators Association, offering individual mentoring for early-career researchers. The program is currently in its 8th edition.
- The Fulbright Program Ambassadors, where our alumni actively promote the Program and build local alumni communities. We are now in the third edition of this program.
- The Fulbright Buddies Program, in which volunteers support our American grantees during their first weeks in Poland. The program is currently in its fifth edition.
We proudly celebrated key milestones, including the 60th and 65th anniversaries of the Fulbright Program in Poland and the 75th anniversary of the global Fulbright Program. We also organized special initiatives, securing additional funding for events such as thematic study visits to the U.S. and conferences on media literacy. A month ago, a book about the history of the Fulbright Program in Poland was published by PWN (one of the major publishers in Poland).
In addition, we introduced a new visual identity for the Fulbright Program, aligning our branding and developing a comprehensive growth strategy for the coming years. Our enhanced promotional efforts have made information about the Fulbright Program more accessible, not just in academic circles, but also in the media.
It is not only the operational successes that stand out – Justyna’s exceptional approach to team-building and investing in people as the Program’s greatest asset deserves special recognition. Strengthening networks and cultivating long-term relationships with Program alumni, as well as with Polish and American academic institutions, became one of our key priorities under her leadership. We also introduced a variety of training and development opportunities for the Commission’s staff, helping to improve our professional and personal skills. Justyna consistently encouraged collaboration and knowledge-sharing among Fulbright Commissions in Europe, while staying true to the global Fulbright mission, which emphasizes non-discrimination of underrepresented groups. In this spirit, we implemented a strategy focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which are now foundational principles of the Fulbright Commission’s work.
While saying goodbye is difficult, we are deeply grateful for Justyna’s leadership, her inspiration, and her immense contribution to our team’s growth. Justyna, we wish you all the best and great success in your future endeavors.
Until the new Director takes office, these duties will be fulfilled by our Administration and Finance Manager, Aneta Kluszczyńska, in collaboration with board member Anna Kertyczak.
