The Bureau of Education and Culture announced 2022 Expansion and diversification of education abroad grants that include programs designed to help more American students study abroad.
Awardees are located in 32 states and Puerto Rico and include 18 minority-serving institutions and 10 community colleges. This is a sharp increase compared to last year when 26 schools – including nine minority-serving institutions and five community colleges – received funding.
Study abroad programs to be supported by the government are consistent with US foreign policy goals, USA Study Abroad said.
“This year, we … commit to continued strong support for American colleges and universities that are building and diversifying their study abroad capacity,” the agency said in a message to American international educators.
“These outstanding institutions will develop study abroad programs in all regions of the world”
ECA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs Ethan Rosenzweig said the selected American colleges and universities “reflect the diversity of the American higher education system.”
“These outstanding institutions will develop study abroad programs in all regions of the world and in subject areas important to the US, such as climate, democracy and human rights, and economic development and entrepreneurship,” he commented.
“This year, the Biden administration is proud to have doubled the number of IDEAS grants we have received. We are committed to continuing our strong support of American colleges and universities that are building and diversifying their study abroad capacity.”
Funding will also support the development of new international partnerships and programs, training faculty in program design and implementation, creating resources to “attract diverse student populations to study abroad,” and developing virtual and hybrid exchanges.
Historically black colleges and universities receiving funding include Bennett College and Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, Albany State University in Georgia, West Virginia University and Xavier University in Louisiana.
Bennett College will host a program in Costa Rica, South Africa, and Tanzania to increase the number of HBCU faculty and Black women studying climate change abroad, ASU will focus on building teacher capacity in rural schools in Ghana, and ECSU will launch an experience for emergency services students. to Barbados and Iceland.
Heidi Manley, head of U.S. study abroad at ECA, also made the point diversity of awardeeswhich – along with HBCUs – include community colleges such as Austin Community College, College of Southern Nevada, and Heartland Community College in addition to rural institutions.
“We are committed to working with them to create study abroad programs that are accessible to Americans of all backgrounds and that give American students more opportunities to interact with people in more diverse places around the world,” Manley added.
