2018 Newsletter

2018 MACECE NEWSLETTER

36 years 0f promoting Mutual Understanding

www.macece.org

Issue 19

From the Executive Director To the Fulbright Community – current Fulbrighters, alumni, colleagues, partners and friends: It is a pleasure to express my warm wishes for the new year as we enter into 2019 and start a new chapter of MACECE. After joining the Commission in August, I have spent the last few months getting to experience the richness that is our Fulbright network between the US and Morocco.

As you will see from the newsletter, 2018 was another banner year for Fulbright Morocco with our grantees serving as cultural ambassadors and stewards of hope for continued mutual understanding between our two countries. MACECE reached far and wide during the year from Tetouan to Agadir to New Haven to Salt Lake City.

There were Moroccan Fulbrighters at the University of Arkansas, Harvard, Emory and the University of North Dakota … and American Fulbrighters at Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University of Fes, University Chouaib Doukkali in El Jadida, and Hassan I University of Settat. Our Fulbrighters taught English and Arabic and Moroccan Culture and American Culture. Their disciplines extended from art history to epidemiology to environmental studies to citizenship education to documentary film to physical chemistry to international law.

Grantees in Morocco have been studying code-switching, non-formal education, air pollution and pulmonary health, wild barbary macaques and social security. In the US, our Fulbrighters have participated in International Education Week, Habitat for Humanity and film festivals. The diversity of our research, our grantees and our network demonstrate the richness, significance and profound value that Fulbright bestows on our two communities and on our intellectual exchange. It is an honor to serve the Commission, along with the MACECE team and the board, to continue to fulfill our important mission. In the coming year, we plan to continue to grow the breadth and diversity of the Commission by expanding our outreach around Morocco to encourage more candidates to have the opportunity for exchange. It is vital that we work together with our two governments, the business community here in Morocco and our dedicated alumni to promote the programs and envision funding for more scholarships in collaboration with the private sector in order to increase the opportunities for our young people and ensure the sustainability and future strength of this impactful and prestigious program. We welcome you to help us endorse the program, send new candidates our way, bring your research to our library, give a lecture at the Commission, host a new US grantee at your institution, create a new hyphenated scholarship in a particular field or industry, or support one of your staff members to apply for professional development program through Fulbright. To our alumni, we hope to see you more! In the coming year, MACECE, in collaboration with the US Embassy, will be embarking on a new journey called the “Fulbright Caravan,” a nine-city initiative to engage Fulbright alumni in Morocco and at the same time help develop professional soft-skills amongst university students. The Caravan will include alumni events where we hope you will join us in gathering together to raise more awareness about the noble work that our Fulbrighters do here in Morocco. As Senator Fulbright said, “the Program aims, through these means, to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby to increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship." As the new Executive Director of MACECE, I approach this work with humility, gratitude and a firm purpose of collaboration with all of you as we continue to build and sustain the Fulbright programs in Morocco in the new year.

Rebecca B. Geffner

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Embarking on Fulbright Fulbright Study Grant Nominees 2019 MACECE held a Post-Nomination Orientation for the 20192020 Moroccan Fulbright Masters students. The grantees were chosen from a very competitive selection process to participate in the Fulbright Study Grant Program, which allows them to complete a two-year Master's degree in the U.S. beginning summer 2019.

AMIDEAST Senior Program Officer, Emmanuel Pimentel, traveled from the U.S. to deliver in the orientation and assist with the placements of our selected Moroccan grantees. Two recent program alumni, Ilyass Khaouja and Aahd Benchaouch shared their rewarding experience with the new cohort.

The online Application for the Study Grant for the academic year of 2020-2021 opened on February 1st, 2019.

PDO for Fulbright DAI Teachers MACECE hosted a Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) for our 2019 cohort of Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers (DAI). The new cohort consists of four Moroccan EFL teachers : Rabha Sahli, Omar Bentabet, Hicham Mahda, and Kamal El Ghor El Chaoui. Ms. Sahli and Mr. Bentabet will be hosted by Syracuse University in New York, while Mr. Mahda and Mr. El Ghor will be placed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The teachers will spend five months at their respective placements in intensive professional development and teacher training beginning early January.

We would like to thank our 2017 DA alumni who came to share their successful experience with the new cohort during orientation.

PDO, Moroccan Students MACECE held a Pre-Departure Orientation for departing Fulbright Moroccan students and Joint-Supervision grantees.

The meeting was held at MACECE where grantees received insightful advice from both Moroccan alumni and American grantees. Participants also had an online video conference with AMIDEAST in Washington, D.C., which provided them with program guidelines that will help them embark on the Fulbright experience successfully.

We wish our grantees safe travel, and success in their studies and research in America.

PDO, Foreign Language Teaching Assistants MACECE organized a Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) for the 2018-2019 Fulbright FLTA grantees. This year's cohort consists of 12 participants : six teachers from public schools and an additional six from private schools. Before their departure to the U.S., participants attended a second Orientation in Tunis from July 23-27, 2018 where they were able to network with other FLTA participants from the region.

We would like to thank our 2017-18 FLTA alumni, namely, Asmaa Lqati and Mounir Rafik, for sharing their experience and valuable tips with the new cohort.

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Each year the Moroccan American Fulbright Commission in Morocco awards merit-based scholarships for M.A/MS programs in the USA. Scholarships cover all expenses and offered in most fields with the exception of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry. Below are the profiles of students who recently departed to the U.S. for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Soufien Chami Ingénieur d’Etat, Industrial Engineering, Ecole Mohammedia d'Ingénieurs 2017 To: University of North Dakota, Grand Forks – Computer Science

Houria Boumzairig Civil Engineering, Ecole Hassania des Travaux Publics, 2017 To: Virginia Commonwealth University – Architecture/Interior Design

Mohamed Belcaid Ingénieur d’Etat, Electrical Engineering, National School of Applied Sciences, Marrakech, 2014 To: Michigan Technological University, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Mohamed Talha Rifaa Ingénieur d’Etat, Industrial Engineering, Ecole Mohammedia d'Ingénieurs, 2013 To: University of Texas at Austin – Hydraulic Engineering

Abderrahmane Darouich

Zahra Ketoun

Ingénieur d’Etat, Industrial Engineering, Ecole Mohammedia d'Ingénieurs, 2011 To: Iowa State University – Business Administration

BA, English Studies, Ibn Zohr University, 2016 To: Rochester Institute of Technology – Deaf Education

Samia Haimoura

Youmna Benmaymoun

BBA, Al Akhawayn, 2016 To: Duke University – Computer Science

Youness Benmoumen MA, International Affairs, Sciences Po Paris, 2011 To : Syracuse University – Public Administration

International Organization for Migration, Rabat BA, Psychology, McDaniel College, Budapest, 2016 To: Columbia University Teachers College – Education Psychology

Sarah Benaissa Faculté des Sciences Juridiques, Economiques et Sociales, Casablanca MA, Casablanca, 2015 To : University of Arkansas – International Relations

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The Fulbright Joint Supervision Program sends Moroccan doctoral candidates to an American university to pursue a year of study and research with an American professor as the cosupervisor Soumaya El Barrak is a doctoral student of Engineering Technology at FST, the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, at University Abdelmalik Essadi in Tangier.

Soumaya’s Joint Supervision grant will be undertaken at the University of Houston, where she will be doing research on software defined radio (SDR) communications platforms for smart cities applications.

Marouane Idmansour is a doctoral student at ENCG, the Ecole Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion, of University Abdelmalik Essadi in Tangier. Marouane’s Joint Supervision grant will take him to the Department of Economics at San Diego State University, where he will continue his research on the choices young women in Morocco make between taking jobs and working at home.

Soumaya El Halas is a doctoral student in Environmental Biology at FST, the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, at University Hassan I in Settat. Soumaya will be conducting her Joint Supervision research at the University of California Irvine, where, with her cosupervisor, she will be looking at the interrelationships between septic tanks and groundwater.

Mohammed Bassou is a doctoral student in the Department of English in the Faculty of Letters of University Hassan II - Ben Msik, Casablanca. Mohammed’s Joint Supervision grant takes him to the American Studies program at Skidmore College in New York State. His research compares stand-up comedy in Moroccan and American cultures and how comedy works through the use of incongruity throughout cultures.

Zoulal Mansouri is a doctoral student in Education in the Faculty of Letters and Social Sciences at University Hassan II - Ben Msik, Casablanca. Zoulal’s doctoral research focuses on the question of student attrition in open admission institutions.

She will undertake her research on this question in the College of Education at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Hicham El Ferouali is a doctoral student at FST, the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of University Cadi Ayyad in Marrakech. Hicham will be in the Department of Engineering Technology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts where, through his Joint Supervision grant, he will continue his design research on solar drying mechanisms.

Meryem Larhmaid is a doctoral student at FSE, the Faculty of Education Sciences at University Mohammed V Rabat. For her Joint Supervision grant, Meryem will travel to the University of Maryland at College Park to work on the differences in reading strategies, reading performance, and academic performance among Moroccan university students in their use of print versus digital technologies.

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Rabie Fadil is a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at FSR, the Faculty of Sciences – Rabat, University Mohammed V. Rabie will undertake his Joint Supervision research at the University of North Dakota, where he will be working on the early detection of microcalcifications in breast cancer.

Samiha Salhi is a doctoral student in Sociology at FLSH, in the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, of University Mohammed V Rabat. Samiha will conduct her Joint Supervision research in the Department of Sociology at Utah State University in Logan.

Her dissertation research project is entitled Agricultural Labor Migration and Changing Gender Relations in Morocco: A Case Study of the Souss and l'Oriental.

Soukaina Douissi is a doctoral student in Statistics in the Faculty of Sciences at University Cadi Ayyad in Marrakech. Soukaina will be at Michigan State University’s Department of Statistics and Probability looking at applications of stochastic differential equations to climatology and related environmental sciences.

Fouzia Zayou is a doctoral student in Biomedical Sciences at FST-Fès, University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah. Fouzia’s Joint Supervision research on oncology and the biology of cancer proteins will take her to Cedars Sinai Hospital and the Digestive Diseases Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Soumaya Nabih is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, FST, University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah, in Fès.Soumaya’s interests in assessing the impact of climate change on the hydrological regimes will take her to the Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing Lab at the University of Oklahoma and NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, both in Norman, Oklahoma.

Anas Sibari is a doctoral student in Materials Science at FSR, the Faculty of Sciences at University Mohammed V in Rabat. Anas will undertake his Joint Supervision research on phosphorene as a 2D material used for energy conversion in the Department of Physics at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

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Fulbright Student Research Grant

Natasha Maldi Crafting a PostIndependence Moroccan Identity in Arabic Language Newspapers (1956-1970)

Robert Eastman Johnson Establishing a Solid Waste Database for Future Environmental Projects in Morocco

Ella Cohen Developing Culturally Informed Palliative Care in Morocco

Dereck Werthmann Air Pollution and its Association with Pulmonary Health in Agadir Morocco

Natalie Bernstien Generational Disparity in Moroccan Society: Analyzing Current Perceptions of Moroccan Jews

Chloe Fouilloux Social Organization and Paternity in Wild Barbary Macaques in the Atlas Mountains

Wyatt Barnes Motivations for CodeSwitching among ArabicSpanish Bilinguals in Morocco

Carolyn Barnett Colonial Legacies and the Welfare State: Social Security and Healthcare in Morocco

Sharidan Russell The Social Implications of Moroccan Arabic’s Transition to a Written Language

Lily Haddad Non-Formal Education and Combating School Attrition in Morocco

Each year, young Americans come to undertake a research project of their own design. Student researchers may also qualify for the Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA), which allows them to study Arabic for up to six months prior to the start of their research. These are the 2018-2019 Students with their research topics

Fulbright English TA Grant

Each year, recent American university graduates are selected to teach English in Moroccan public universities and graduate institutions.

Grace Evans Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II Rabat

Oumama Kabli Abdelmalik Es-Saadi Tetouan

Madeleine Coffey Abdelmalik Es-Saadi Tetouan

Jane Viviano Ecole National d'Architecture Rabat

Maya Cotton Ibn Zohr, ENCG Agadir

Sarah McLewin Mohammed V, ENS Rabat

Bradley Davis École Nationale Supérieure d'arts et Métiers Meknes

Liza Tumen Hassan II, Ben M'Sik Casablanca

Anna Cizek Ibn Zohr, ENCG Agadir

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program U.S. university professors apply to teach at Moroccan universities or conduct research or a combination of both. Six professors are here in Morocco this year.

Helene Silverberg Teaching Law and Human Rights Rabat

Mohammed Errihani Teaching TEFL/Applied Linguistics in El Jadida

Isaure de Buron-Connors Fish Parasite Fauna of Sebkhet Imlili: Identification and Dynamics

Tara Deubel Women's Status, Legal Change, and Human Rights Networks: The Family Law Reform in Southern Morocco

Paul Heck Teaching Religious Studies in Morocco -Tetouan

Stacy Holden History and Nostalgia in Edith Wharton's Morocco

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Fulbright Morocco grantees here and there

Fulbright ETAs in Jordan Around 27 English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) from the MENA region took part in a regional workshop in Amman, Jordan. The workshop was an opportunity for ETAs to network, discuss, and share their experiences, as instructors. ETAs also enjoyed sightseeing around Jordan and experiencing its history thanks to the Fulbright Commission in Jordan.

Marouan Smaili, a Fulbright returnee shared his experience with the recent returnees from the U.S. embassy Youth Exchange Programs who gathered at the Alumni Reentry Seminar in Agadir, MACECE Outreach coordinator, Moustapha Laalioui also held an information session where he talked about the application process for the Fulbright program

Sara Tabarkakait volunteered with Habitat for Humanity as part of her plan to give back to communities worldwide, not only in Morocco.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that helps people in need worldwide to improve and build houses. Ms. Tabarkakait is a current FLTA teaching Arabic in Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

MACECE hosted the Fulbright Re-entry Meeting for recently returned Fulbrighters. Returnees had discussions about the application process.They also shared their different academic and cultural experiences as exchange grantees, and talked about the positive imprints Fulbright had on their lives.

Representatives from US Embassy Rabat attended the meeting and offered the returnees information on how to stay connected and engaged.

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a Fulbrighter's perspective I am a recent architecture graduate from the National School of Architecture in Rabat, Morocco. When I was in school, I was taught that architects were the perfect combination of builders and artists. Today, I am just an artist, and I’d like to speak of the reality of my world.

Two years ago, as I finished my undergraduate degree at the National School of Architecture in Rabat, I needed a job. I found it in an American company.

Two years ago, I also needed an education that goes along with my vision to be a great architect. America gave me access to one of its best universities.

Two years ago, I needed funding to complete my education. America offered me its most prestigious scholarship to achieve my goals. While I was in Morocco and as I got closer to graduation, my childhood dream of being an architect started showing hindrances. The architecture, engineering and construction industry is a male-dominated field in Morocco. Moreover, architecture firms were not hiring, and when they were, wages were low and the professional practice conditions were poor, too poor for a 6-year program graduate like me. As far back as I can remember, all I wanted to do growing up was to sketch, design and build.

However, the Moroccan job market was not an encouraging place for me.

Nonetheless, I started looking for any job that would sustain my life in order to keep my independence. I found enlightening and needed counseling from the President of the Moroccan American Center and former US Ambassador in Morocco, Edward Gabriel. I shared my story with him. I needed a job to save for a desired US education. He advised me to apply for Jacobs, a US-headquartered Engineering company that signed a joint-venture agreement with the OCP phosphates company in Casablanca, where working for a US company would enhance my chances for a US education. Jacobs was one of the few companies hiring at the time and placing a premium on hiring women, as well as offering learning opportunities as part of the work experience. A few months later, after several interviews, Jacobs offered me a job that related to my aspiring architecture career. Working for Jacobs strengthened my skills and following Ambassador Gabriel’s advice, I dedicated the remaining hours of my days fulfilling the application requirements for the Fulbright Scholarship, my only way to afford an education in the United States. The Moroccan American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchanges (MACECE) provided a platform for this application and another American NGO, Amideast, supported me in understanding the application process I had to go through in order to go to school in the US. Unbelievably, I was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and immediately started applying to universities. Through its wonderful program officers, Amideast provided me with wise advice, encouraged me to follow my dream and patiently walked me through the year-long process. A few months later, I was holding my acceptance letter from Cornell University. It was the happiest day of my life. My first year at Cornell was a great dive into the fascinating American culture. Many of my professors became mentors and made Ithaca feel like home.

This American experience offered opportunities for women and was open to what I culturally brought as a Moroccan to the mosaic of cultures around me. I couldn’t hope for a better environment. And now I’m interning at Jacobs in the US, thanks to my prior experience in Morocco.

I am a living example of US exchange programs and the American dream.

American business gave me the opportunity to afford my life in Morocco after graduation and an experience of the American business model. US government exchange programs assisted me through the application process, gave me a chance to find an American supported scholarship so I could afford a US university, and finally helped me find my way to Cornell University, one of the best universities in the world.

This time next year, I will be Fulbright Scholar, and graduate of Cornell University, and an environmentally aware architect, which firmly intends to build sustainable and livable cities. Thank you Morocco for my undergraduate experience and America for nurturing me through a process that created my dream come true.

Sara Boutata Sara is a graduate of The Ecole Nationale d'Architecture, in Rabat. Sara is a native of Rabat and is at Cornell University for her Masters in Architecture.

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a Fulbrighter's perspective ITTO OUTINI Itto graduated from the Faculty of Educational Sciences (FSE) of University Mohammed V in Rabat and won a Fulbright grant to study journalism at the University of Arkansas.

"Through my program at the University of Arkansas as a Fulbright scholar, I have learned a lot, met people from all over the world with whom I have exchanged knowledge and experience. This week is International Education Week. On Monday, November 12, I signed up to join the opening ceremony of the event in which I was assigned to carry a sign representing my continent (Africa). When the organizers knew that I signed up, though I could not see their faces, I could detect their trembling voices as they expressed concern about a blind person carrying a sign and walking around the student union. However, I was able to carry it, walk, and successfully did just well as a normal student. At the end, people cried and expressed lots of emotion for those who have never seen a blind person who challenges the unchallengeable. I was proud and happy to represent not only myself as a blind woman who likes adventure but also to represent the Fulbright program, my culture, and other people with disability. As a Fulbright scholar, I feel that carrying the continent sign with my hands is much lighter than carrying it in my heart and mind. I carry the guilt of the world and the injustice I want to change. Waking up every morning with hope and ambition to change the world makes my physical and my mental abilities rise to the challenges of daily life so that I can become a voice for the voiceless."

MORE THAN A SCHOLARSHIP Devyn Greenberg is a graduate of Dartmouth Colelge and Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at ENA Rabat in 2017/2018

"I spent my year teaching at L’Ecole Nationale D’Architecture (ENA) in Rabat, and volunteering at the Moroccan Center for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (MCISE). I see the relationships that I formed both inside and outside of my work as the clear highlight of my year here. I am so grateful to my students, my friends, and my Fulbright colleagues for all that they have taught me and shared with me. Check out this picture of some of my amazing students, right after they gave me an architectural tour of Kasbah des Oudayas."

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Jane's Fulbright in pictures How does it feel to be a U.S. Fulbrighter in Morocco? Jane Viviano, a graduate of The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, embarked on her Fulbright journey to Morocco to teach English at The National School of Architecture in Rabat. Jane shared with us three pictures that highlight her time in Morocco.

"Whenever I travel, I love learning about a country's tea culture! After asking new Moroccan friends all about how to make tea, I can now say that there is always a fresh pot of tea at my house, especially one ready when guests come over. Am I Moroccan yet?!

It is important to find community whenever I travel. Yoga has been a great outlet for me. I have been able to stay healthy by practicing Yoga daily and have had the opportunity to meet a wide array of people through classes.

29 ETAs from Morocco, Jordan, Algeria, the West Bank, and Bahrain finally met this November at the regional ETA teaching conference in Amman, Jordan.

We worked together to improve our teaching skills and toured one of Jordan's most famous Roman ruin sites, Jerash."

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Fulbrighters In Action

Fulbrighters visit to ENS Rabat

Fulbright English Teaching Assistants hosted an afternoon with Ecole Normale Supérieure faculty and students where they shared experiences as teachers, the journey to Morocco and beyond.

Fulbright unites us The 3rd Annual TESOL Conference in Dakhla entitled "Third Millennium Teachers: The Need for Continuous Professional Development" gathered a group of Moroccan and American Fulbrighters. In the picture (LR) Mohammed Hassim (former Fulbrighter), Maya Cotton (current ETA), Anna Cizek (current ETA), Abdelmajd Bouziane, Mohammed Errihani (current U.S. Fulbright. Scholar), Mark Dressman (former U.S. Fulbright Scholar), Mohamed Oubit (teacher alum), Abdellatif Zoubair (inspector), and Rahhal Ajbilou (teacher alum).

What do you get when you put together an American Fulbright Scholar from the College of Charleston, a Fulbright student researcher from the University of Minnesota, a researcher from the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development and Mohammed V University, Faculty of Sciences, Rabat? One of the most interesting and collaborative projects Fulbright Morocco has seen in a while! The project will be researching fish and their parasites in the ancient Imlili waters inland from Dakhla.

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Fulbrighters In Action

Model United Nations Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA), Anna Cizek, took three of her ENCG students from Agadir to Rabat in order to take part in the Model Arab League which was held at International University of Rabat. The event was a great opportunity for students to understand global issues related to policy and decision making.

Social Innovative Students Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Maya Cotton, joined the association of Tamedoult Youth in Agadir, where she volunteers as a facilitator within the project of Social Innovative Students.

Maya conducts workshops on soft skills for university students. Maya is an English Teaching Assistant at ENCG Agadir.

Sign Language Diversity in the Arab World U.S. Fulbright alumnus, Ryan Fan, gave a lecture entitled "Sign Language Diversity in the Arab World." at the American Legation in Tangier. Over half those who attended were deaf adults, mostly young, who also toured the legation museum before the lecture. Ryan is a PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin. His Fulbright grant brought him to Morocco in 2016 to study Moroccan sign language.

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Fulbrighters In Action Talent Show!

Fulbright ETAs at University of Abdelmalk Essaadi, Tetouan, Oumaima and Madeleine, organized an after school event where students got the chance to showcase their talents and skills.

Alumni Giving back!

Filmmaker, Fatima Matousse, facilitated a workshop in Agadir about the power of storytelling through Journalism for students who took part in a training program supported by Ajtcd and the Swedish Institute Alumni Network.

Fatima's Fulbright took her to the the City College of New York where she recevied her MFA in Filmmaking.

Companionship through Language!

In December the Companionship through Language program offered workshops in Boujad, and Oujda, Morocco. English Teachers included a mix of volunteers, current and former Fulbrighters.

Workshops focused on conversation skills and making cross-cultural connections in order for students to build global companionship through their exploration of the English language.

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Events at the Commission Morocco’s Women in Music Rita Stirn-Wagner, the author of the book: "Morocco’s Women in Music" embarked on a journey across Morocco, from Tangier through the Atlas Mountains, and down south to the Sahara, in order to meet Morocco’s musical muses. By choosing to write specific portraits of singers and musicians, who share courage, audacity, musical talent, and artistic commitment, her book is a vibrant tribute to Morocco’s Women in Music. The portraits of these exceptional women were originally written in French and translated into Arabic and English, which grants them national and international visibility.

Flipped Classroom Fulbright alumni from the teachers programs had the chance to learn more about the Flipped Classroom approach in teaching, thanks to an interactive workshop led by Desiree Williamson who came from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in Washington D.C. Teachers were introduced to the advantages of the approach and how to apply it in their classes.

Annual Symposium MACECE held its annual “Moroccan Studies Symposium.” The Symposium brings together all of the American Fulbright researchers and their Moroccan affiliates to present their research findings and take stock of their progress in their different projects.

The Symposium provides a unique binational discussion forum in which U.S. grantees can share, elaborate and discuss their on-going research with Moroccan discussants.

Enrichment Seminar MACECE was pleased to host the 2018 Annual Fulbright Enrichment Seminar for Fulbright Student Researchers from the MENA region. 38 U.S. Fulbright Student Researchers gathered at Hôtel Cantor Terminus in downtown Rabat to present their research findings in 10 thematic panels demonstrating their wide-ranging interests in the peoples and cultures of countries from Kuwait to Morocco. The two-day workshop was followed by an excursion to the Roman ruins at Volubilis and Meknes. MACECE will host the seminar again this year in April.

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Fulbrighters' Achievements AHMED REDA CHAMI APPOINTED BY HIS MAJESTY KING MOHAMMED VI King Mohammed VI has appointed Fulbright Alumnus, Ahmed Reda Chami, as the new president of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE).

Ahmed Reda embarked on a Fulbright grant for an MBA at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1987.

INNOVATION PRIZE FOR RACHID SALGHI Moroccan Fulbright alumnus, Rachid Salghi won the innovation prize at the Bitgaram International Exposition of Electric Power Technology (BIXPO) in Gwangju, South Korea.

Rachid is a professor at the National School of Applied Sciences of Agadir. His Fulbright grant took him to Texas Tech University for Post-Doc research in 2015.

MESA SERVICE AWARD Guess who won the service award at The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Annual conference!?

Dr. James Miller, Professor Emeritus of Geography at Clemson University (South Carolina), and former director of the Moroccan Fulbright Commission took home the award in November in Austin, Texas. Dr. Miller was also a U.S. Fulbright student grantee in Morocco from 1973-74 and a Fulbright Senior Scholar from 1985-86 and 1994-96.

MOUNIA TAGMA APPOINTED REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE MENA REGION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING Congratulations to Mounia Tagma who has been appointed Regional Director for the MENA Region of Affordable Housing.

Mounia's Fulbright took her to Harvard University for a Master in Public Policy in 2008.

Mounia also served in the past as president of the Moroccan Fulbright Alumni Association MFAA.

AHMED ECHARFI Congratulations to Fulbright alumnus Ahmed Echarfi for winning the Moroccan Book Award on his book: Language and Dialect.

Ahmed Echarfi is a Professor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences in Rabat. His Fulbright took him to do research in linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin.

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OUTREACH

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU 2018 was another active academic year for our outreach team with visits and presentations at universities and high schools around Morocco. The Commission strives to reach students in all regions of the country and 2019 will see us again in different parts of the Kingdom. Follow our various social media pages to know where MACECE will be next!

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FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

#Fulbright Morocco MACECE has strengthened its efforts within online communities to share its activities and news with partners, alumni, and friends throughout Morocco and the world. As of early 2019, MACECE’s Facebook page (Fulbright Morocco) has topped 17,000 followers. Don’t forget to check out our pictures on Instagram and MACECE’s videos on YouTube.

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Fulbright's Revolving Doors

Shukran ETAs

The amazing group of 2016-2017 American English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) traveled to Timnay for their End of Service Workshop at the end of June 2018. The ETAs enjoyed 4 days of reflection, hiking, and swimming while visiting the Middle Atlas. The workshop began with a stop at Al Akhawayn University, where everyone was impressed by the beautiful library on campus.

The 12 university English Teaching Assistants have taught over the past year in Morocco’s public universities, ranging from Abdelmalik Essaadi to Ibn Zohr. Shukran ETAs!

Welcome Fulbrighters In September, MACECE welcomed the new cohort of 2018-19 American Fulbrighters.

The new group includes 10 student researchers, 9 English Teaching Assistants who will be teaching at public universities and institutions, and 7 U.S. university professors who will conduct research or teach at university level. The twoday orientation was followed by a two-day trip to Meknes where student grantees will take Arabic courses at Al Ain Institute. The trip also included a tour of Volublilis.

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BOARD MEMBERS The Commission is managed by a Board of six Moroccans and six Americans. Board Members are appointed by the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the American Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, respectively. The Minister and the Ambassador serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of the Commission.

The Board meets four times a year to set policy and review Commission activities. The Board is responsible for screening and selecting grantees.

Amine Bensaid, President President, Mundiapolis University Casablanca

Gary Butzbach, Hassan Mekouar, Vice Treasurer Treasurer Director (ret.), Professor (ret.), English Dept., American Language Center, Faculty of Letters, Rabat Rabat

Mokhtar Annaki Regional Senior Vice President for Development,Whitney International

Yassir Touhami Global Head of Content & Editorial,Intellectual Property & Science, Thomson Reuters

Wail Benjelloun Past President, Mohammed V University, Rabat

Brian George, Vice President Public Affairs Officer US. Embassy, Rabat

Stephen Weeks Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer US. Embassy, Rabat

Carrie Monahan Nadia El Hnot Deputy Country Director Ministry of Foreign Affairs Millennium Challenge & Cooperation, Rabat Corporation (MCC)

John Davison Director, Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM)

Julianne M. Furman General Manager, Polydesign Systems, Tangier

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MACECE STAFF

Rebecca B. Geffner Executive Secretary Director

TO BE APPOINTED Deputy Executive Secretarty

Ahlam Daoudi Program Officer Teacher Grants

Seddik Zniber Financial Controller

Mohamed Ait Ouaddi Receptionist / Librarian

It is with great sorrow that we received news of the passing of Abderrahim HARAJ, Fulbright Humphrey alumnus, in 1996 and former active member of the Moroccan Fulbright Association.

We extend our sincere condolences. to his family and friends.

Mouna Louzguani Financial Administrator

Laila Meftah Program Officer, Moroccan Student & Scholar

Mustapha Ait Ouadi Logistics & Information Technology Officer

Hafsa Kanoubi Sarah Robyn Moustapha Laalioui Administrative Assistant Program Officer Alumni/Outreach Humphrey Program U.S. Students and Faculty Coordinator Officer

Said Benamare Driver

El Hassan Taliby Night Guard & Newspaper Archivist

Shukran Dr. Miller In July 2018, Dr. Miller retired as Executive Director of MACECE. He has been an inspiration, influence, and leader to the hundreds of people, Fulbright and other, that have crossed his path We wish you all the best in your future endeavours!

Thank you for your service.

Future Fulbrighter?

We welcomed the newest member to the MACECE family, baby Mohamed Ilyass.

Congratulations Ms. Kanoubi!

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Our Scholarships Fulbright Study Grant Each year, MACECE awards merit-based scholarships for Master's programs in the USA. Scholarships cover all expenses and are offered for all fields except medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry. Successful candidates must have excellent academic records. Complete applications should be submitted by May 31st 2019. TOEFL, GRE or GMAT are required.

Fulbright Joint-Supervision Doctoral students in Morocco may apply for this grant to undertake doctoral dissertation research at an American university with an American co-advisor for a 12-month period, The deadline for receipt of applications is mid-December for grants beginning the following academic year.

Fulbright Post-Doctoral Research Award Moroccan university professors or researchers with a doctoral degree may apply to carry out research for two to six months at an American university or research center. Deadline for submission of completed applications is midNovember for grants that begin no earlier than the summer of the following year.

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship Program FLTA Program provides public & private school teachers with a ninemonth opportunity to teach Arabic and further cultural understanding at an American university, develop new teaching skills, and improve their English proficiency.

Teachers of Critical Languages Program The program provides public school teachers with a ten-month opportunity to teach Arabic as a foreign language to primary and secondary school students in the U.S., share Moroccan culture, and improve their English proficiency.

Fulbright Humphrey Fellowship The Humphrey Program selects mid-career professionals from public and private sectors to go to the United States for a year of graduate-level academic course work and professional development activities. The deadline for applications is September 1st of each year.

Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers (DAI) is a five-month professional development program which allows public school teachers to pursue individual or group projects.

The program is an opportunity for participants to observe, co-teach, and share their expertise in American elementary and secondary schools.

Applications should be submitted to the Ministry of National Education when the competition is open.

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UPCOMING EVENTS ALUMNI GIVING BACK

What is the Fulbright Caravan?

The Fulbright Caravan is a travelling training initiative to 9 cities around Morocco, where American and Moroccan Fulbright alumni lead personal and professional development workshops for underserved students at public universities.

The Fulbright Caravan aims to invest in the skills accumulated by the Moroccan Fulbright Alumni in the U.S. and the current U.S. grantees in Morocco and pay the investment forward with local capacity building and outreach activities. The alumni will transfer the impact and knowledge to university students, and at the same time promote the Fulbright program within Moroccan universities and widen the pool for Fulbright scholarships as well as build the Fulbright brand in regions underrepresented in Fulbright applications.

Who is taking part?

Alumni of the Fulbright program in Morocco.

Target cities Casablanca, Settat, Fes, Agadir, Tangier, Tetouan, Marrakech, Beni Mellal, and Oujda.

What are the workshop's topics?

- Entrepreneurship (how to create a business plan).

- Writing CVs/ Cover letters/ Preparing for Job interviews / Creating Grant proposals.

- Media Skills/ Social Media for professional purposes/ Networking.

- Public Speaking, Storytelling, SelfEmpowerment.

- Debate, Negotiation, Team work.

- Design thinking.

- Other topics will be added based on the expertise of alumni.

Timeline The project will take place between the period of March 2019 through June 2019 [or November 2019, if possible] with a monthly “stop� on the Caravan in each city for 1-2 days. alumni taking part in the caravan will benefit from one day training on the techniques of facilitating workshops.