The U.S. embassy announced Friday the start of the 2013 Fulbright Scholarship Program, a grant to obtain a master’s degree at a university in the United States. The program, which covers a maximum of two academic years of study beginning in August 2013, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. Originally proposed by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1945, this scholarship has become the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange, the embassy said on its website. The program is funded by the U.S. Congress and administered by AMIDEAST. The grant includes: roundtrip airfare between Lebanon and the United States, tuition, books, health insurance, and room and board. Funding is not available to meet the expenses of Fulbright students’ dependents (spouses, children, parents, etc.) Beirut - The Daily star