About Us - MACECE

About MACECE

For over 40 years, the Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (MACECE) has been working to promote the spirit of traditional friendship between the peoples of Morocco and the United States of America by facilitating academic and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange was established in 1982 by agreement between the two governments. As the principal organization entrusted with this mission, it enjoys financial, managerial and administrative autonomy. It is managed by a binational board of commissioners and receives its primary funding from the governments of the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America. The binational Commission administers a wide range of research, study and teaching grants, chiefly within the context of the worldwide Fulbright Educational Exchange Program.

The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, a Presidentially-appointed committee of twelve, establishes general policy guidelines and oversees the final selection of all grantees. In addition, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State (ECA) and MACECE are assisted in the administration of the program by the following co- operating agencies: The Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), the Institute of International Education (IIE), The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), AMIDEAST, and American Councils.

MACECE Staff

Mouna Louzguani

Ayoub Rachdi

Mohammed Ait Ouaddi

Said Benamare

Hassan Taliby

Selection committee guidelines

The Selection Committees, subject to the guiding principles below, are charged with the mission of reviewing final applicants to determine who are fully qualified to contribute to, impact or carry out the research, activity, or project for which they are selected for a Fulbright grant and that these applicants can comply with the principles of the Commission and the Fulbright Program.  

 

The Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (MACECE) upholds the highest standards of excellence, transparency, and ethics in its operating procedures and selection process.  MACECE is committed to the values of the Fulbright program including diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Fulbright defines diversity as: “opportunities are open to people regardless of their race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, or disability”.

MACECE therefore seeks to recruit a diverse and talented group of applicants for our programs.  We value applications coming from underrepresented groups, disciplines, and regions of Morocco. In supporting these important values and upholding objectivity and an equal playing field, MACECE’s selection committees abide by the following precepts: 

 

  • Inclusion: 

All candidate interviews are conducted virtually, in order to ensure that no financial obstacles will prevent candidates from participation;

 

  • Consistency: 

Each program has a pre-determined time limit for interviews and, as such, each interview will not exceed this amount of time;

All candidates selected for interviews are asked a similar set of questions in any order. Follow up questions may be asked but after the standard questions;

 

  • Avoidance of Conflicts of Interest:

Selection Committee members must recuse themselves from an interview or application review for any conflict of interest including personal relationships with the applicant;

Selection Committee members do not have any contact with applicants during application review. Only MACECE Program Officers can have contact with applicants.  MACECE Program Officers serve as an impartial resource to the Selection Committees and do not score the applications during the process.

  • Transparency: 

Candidates are selected upon the basis of the merits of their proposed project or activity, their potential impact upon return on Morocco’s national development, the fulfillment of all application and program requirements, their leadership capabilities, and any selection criteria stated on the program website

Only applications that successfully pass the technical review and contain all required documents before the application deadline may be considered for further review; Incomplete applications will not move on after the technical review;

 

  • Nondiscrimination

All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, lifestyle, or status as a parent.  Interview questions will not focus on any of these aforementioned factors.

 

  • Confidentiality

All applications and interviews are treated confidentially.  Applications are not shared outside of the Commission and no interviews are video or audio recorded.