Sixty-one international Fulbright students from more than 40 countries are spending the week at Kennesaw State University to prepare for graduate and doctoral programs at universities across the United States.

The Fulbright Gateway Orientation, which runs from Aug. 10-15, introduces incoming Fulbright foreign students to U.S. culture and provides them with important lessons and insights to help them succeed within the American academic system.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Office of International Institutional Education, Fulbright Gateway Orientations are an important part of the Fulbright Program – the U.S. government’s flagship international student exchange program.

Kennesaw State is one of 10 universities around the country hosting Gateway Orientations this fall.

KSU faculty and staff have developed a comprehensive three-day orientation that: introduces students to the Fulbright program; prepares them for academic success at American universities; teaches them about U.S. history, culture, and government, and helps them develop networking and leadership skills.

The Fulbright foreign students’ visit to Kennesaw also includes a trip to the Martin Luther King, Jr Center in Atlanta to learn about the city’s historic role in the U.S. civil rights movement.

When the orientation concludes, the international students will leave Atlanta to participate in graduate and doctoral programs at universities around the country, including such high-profile institutions as Notre Dame, Harvard, and Georgetown universities.