Dear Fulbrighters and friends of the German-American Fulbright Program

‘The Funnel’ has for many decades been the major tool for communication among Fulbrighters in Germany and the United States. It has served as the platform for recollections of experiences abroad of and for ‘Fullies’, for sharing moments of delight and despair in foreign cultures, and providing information about new programs, activities and developments of the German-American Fulbright Program. It was also an important tool for the Secretariat to follow up on alumni, friends and sponsors and maintain ties to all those who cared about the Fulbright family. Two years ago we introduced an electronic newsletter with news from Germany and its higher education environment to supplement the Funnel. This was to serve the ever growing demand for up-to-date information by our audience, and the need to adapt to new technologies in order to facilitate communication.

After two years of running these two information tools simultaneously – one as print and one online – we have decided to merge both into a new electronic publication, the Funnel Online. As the name already suggests it will be mostly the form that will be new and – hopefully – appealing to all of our addressees. The content of the new Funnel Online will look very familiar to you and provide the same platform for the active exchange of experiences, information and networking. In addition – and this is new – we will complement this traditional Funnel publication with current information on topics in German and European higher education, transatlantic cooperation and helpful links and comments. The Funnel Online will be mailed to you electronically using the current e-mail address that we have from every recipient of the former print version of the Funnel, the newsletter or other publications or invitations we send out frequently. Hence, it is of greatest importance that you frequently update your mail address with us should it change.

Furthermore we encourage you to actively contribute to the future Funnel Online by sharing your impressions and thoughts, and by sending us articles about your experiences in Germany or in the US as a ‘Fulbrighter’. The Funnel was and will remain the main forum for you, for all the Fulbrighters and friends of the Fulbright family now and in the future, so please do not hesitate and share your experiences with us and all your fellow grantees and Alumni. More than 7000 receive the Funnel Online – a veritable sign of how well the Fulbright network has been working.

Help us in contributing to its further growth, and have fun reading the first online edition of the Funnel Online.

Dr. Rolf Hoffmann
Executive Director