Governors State University joins the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad Initiative
Governors State University commits to double its numbers and reach a goal of 100 students who participate in credit-bearing study abroad programs by the academic year 2019-2020.
February 16, 2017 – Governors State University has joined the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad initiative to help more Americans to gain international experience through study abroad programs. This is one of more than 700 commitments announced by IIE.
IIE’s Generation Study Abroad seeks to mobilize resources and commitments with the goal of doubling the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade.
Under the new partnership, GSU will take concrete, action-oriented steps to expand opportunities for study abroad. Some of these steps include building relationship with program providers and highlighting programs related to specific departments/colleges, establishing and improving curricular integration, and growing and maintaining existing programs to ensure sustainability. Another goal of ours is to increase the number of underrepresented students who study abroad.
“Study Abroad offers a lifetime of benefits to students which can assist in education and career attainment,” says GSU Study Abroad Coordinator, Amy Schoenberg. “Whether you study abroad for ten days or one semester, immersing yourself into another culture broadens your world view and adds to your personal growth and intercultural development, allowing you to see even your own country with new eyes.”
As of September 2016, Generation Study Abroad partners to date include over 400 colleges and universities of all sizes and types across the country and around the world, as well as 16 governments, 25 education associations, more than 100 international partners, and 100 study abroad, K-12, and social network organizations who have committed to specific goals to increase the number of U.S. students studying abroad. Commitments include actions to diversity the population of students who participate in study abroad and provide additional financial resources to make this possible.
IIE launched Generation Study Abroad early last year in the belief that the number and proportion of today’s students who graduate with an educational experience abroad is far too low. Currently, fewer than 10 percent of all U.S. college students study abroad at some point in their academic career, according to the Open Doors Report on International and Educational Exchange published by IIE with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Generation Study Abroad aims to grow participation in study abroad so that the annual total reported will reach 600,000 by the end of the decade.
“Globalization has changed the way the world works, and employers are increasingly looking for workers who have international skills and expertise,” says Dr. Allan Goodman, President of IIE. “Studying abroad must be viewed as an essential component of a college degree and critical to preparing future leaders.”
About Generation Study Abroad
IIE’s Generation Study Abroad seeks to significantly increase study abroad participation by bringing employers, governments, associations, and others together to build on current best practices and find new ways to extend study abroad opportunities and resources to tens of thousands of college students whose needs are not currently served by existing programs. Generation Study Abroad will sustain an ongoing dialogue about the need for more students from all backgrounds and in all fields to gain international experience. This will include research to identify and break down barriers hindering students from studying abroad, communications to share strategies and best practices to increase study abroad, and fundraising to mobilize additional financial resources.
About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,200 member institutions. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.
GSU Student Receives Gilman Scholarship
GSU is please to announce its first recipient of the U.S. Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, Akya Gossitt. Akya is a veteran and undergraduate student with a major in Social Work. In July 2016, she studied abroad for four weeks in Accra, Ghana through University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC). Eligibility requirements for the scholarship include being a U.S. citizen, undergraduate student, Federal Pell Grant recipient and applying or being accepted to a study abroad program that is at least four weeks long. Recipients can receive up to $5,000 for their program abroad.
The Gilman International Scholarship Program's online application is open for students participating in credit-bearing study abroad programs and international internships during the spring 2017 and summer 2017 terms. The Gilman Program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study and intern abroad and the countries where they go. All eligible applicants are encouraged to apply and the current deadline is October 4, 2016.
For more information about the Gilman Scholarship, webinar schedules, and other helpful resources, including subscription to Gilman Advisor Newsletters, please visit the Gilman website at www.iie.org/gilman.