IDEAS Grant Competition

Grantee Profiles

The Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program is designed to expand and diversify American student mobility in support of U.S. foreign policy goals. It is imperative that the next generation of leaders – American students of all backgrounds – engage internationally to foster mutual understanding and develop critical skills in support of U.S. national security and economic competitiveness. The program expands the institutional capacity of U.S. colleges and universities to increase and/or diversify U.S. student mobility abroad and achieves this through two main components: a small grants competition awarding grants to accredited U.S. HEIs to create, expand, and/or diversify their U.S. study abroad programs and a series of study abroad capacity building activities, both virtual and in-person, to expand capacity in the wider U.S. study abroad community. Click on the links below to view past and present IDEAS grantees along with descriptions of their IDEAS Program-funded projects.

2023 Grant Competition Finalists2022 Grant Competition Finalists2021 Grant Competition Finalists2020 Grant Competition Finalists2019 Grant Competition Finalists2017 Grant Competition Finalists2016 Grant Competition Finalists

The Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by World Learning.

2023 Grant Competition Finalists

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, USA Study Abroad branch, and its implementing partner, World Learning, are pleased to announce that 34 U.S. colleges and universities have been awarded grants through our 2023 Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program grant competition. With the support of the IDEAS grants, these institutions will develop and expand study abroad programs around the world that are aligned with U.S. foreign policy goals and provide international experiences for U.S. students. 

The winning U.S. colleges and universities represent both public and private institutions, as well as eight community colleges and 12 Minority Serving Institutions from 28 U.S. states. These U.S. colleges and universities will receive funding and programmatic support to help build and strengthen their capacity to send more American students overseas who fully reflect our country’s diversity and to help students engage with more diverse destinations abroad. Funded projects will support such activities as developing new international partnerships and programs, training faculty and staff in program development and implementation, creating resources to engage diverse student groups in study abroad and developing virtual and hybrid exchanges. The grant period is August 1, 2023 through July 31, 2025.

Congratulations to the following 34 colleges and universities on their 2023 IDEAS grants.

IDEAS Consortium Grant, Indigenous-Serving Institutions

University of Washington, Tacoma

Location: Tacoma, WA
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution
Program Title: Exploring Tribal Sovereignty and the Environment through an Indigenous Lens
Destination(s): Canada
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Through the IDEAS Program’s inaugural consortium grant, the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) will collaborate with institutional and community partners to develop a program and resources to support Indigenous students (students who identify as Native American, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, First Nation and other self-identifying Indigenous peoples in the United States). In partnership with Green River College, Tacoma Community College, and local tribal communities and organizations, UWT will develop a faculty-led study abroad program for Indigenous students and students interested in working with Indigenous communities. IDEAS grant funding will support administrative costs, consultant costs for program contributors from Tribal organizations, and faculty and staff travel costs for program site visits and student programs. The study abroad course will focus on tribal sovereignty and climate issues in the United States and Canada. The materials generated through this project—including funding and peer mentorship resources—will respond to the interests and needs of Indigenous-identifying students. UWT will share these resources with the broader U.S. higher education community to encourage increased engagement with Indigenous students in study abroad. 

IDEAS Grants

Alabama A & M University

Location: Huntsville, AL
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public, Historically Black College and University, Predominantly Black Institution
Program Title: Let Us Build Bridges Study Abroad Project
Destination(s): Zambia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Alabama A&M University, a historically Black university, will create an interdisciplinary elective study abroad course focused on democracy and human rights, economic development and entrepreneurship, and global health in Zambia, a less-common study abroad destination. Through the IDEAS grant, faculty will visit Zambia to meet with key program stakeholders at relevant Zambian governmental institutions, develop strategic partnerships with local and international non-profits, and lay the groundwork for student travel to this location. The university will also increase awareness of study abroad opportunities among faculty and students through tailored panel discussions, targeted guest speaker presentations, and open house sessions on campus.  

Bellevue College

Location: Bellevue, WA
Institutional Profile: Two-year, Public, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution
Program Title: From Virtual to Reality in Humanities: Understanding the Story of War in Normandy
Destination(s): France
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Technology and Innovation

Bellevue College, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving two-year institution, will expand access and inclusion in study abroad by creating a low-cost, faculty-led hybrid study abroad program in France. Expanding on an existing partnership with the University of Caen in Normandy, France, and in partnership with the institution’s Extended Reality (XR) Laboratory, Bellevue College will create a two-credit course focused on understanding war from an interdisciplinary humanities perspective. The course will provide a framework for understanding how XR technologies can be a vehicle for storytelling and how digital media shapes narratives and the public’s understanding of war. The university will utilize its IDEAS grant to fund faculty travel to Normandy for a site visit and to create digital artifacts for use in the course. Bellevue College aims to increase the number and diversity of its students studying abroad and provide the framework for a hybrid study abroad model for its faculty in other subjects and destinations. 

Central Georgia Technical College

Location: Warner Robins, GA
Institutional Profile: Two-Year, Public, Predominantly Black Institution
Program Title: Getting Technical: Increasing Diversity in Study Abroad through Technical Education
Destination(s): Brazil, Nigeria, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Global Health

Through its IDEAS grant, Central Georgia Technical College, a predominantly Black two-year institution, aims to increase study abroad participation among rural, first-generation, and low-income students, which are traditionally underrepresented populations in study abroad. Specifically, the college will expand its current health science study abroad programming in Nigeria and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and expand an existing partnership with FAE Business School to provide new study abroad offerings for business management students in Brazil. The college will utilize its IDEAS funding to support faculty site visits and partnership and curricula development in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Brazil, and Nigeria. These short-term study abroad programs will allow undergraduates to fulfill curriculum requirements through practice and service learning.  

Clemson University

Location: Clemson, SC
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Diversity and Inclusion via Signed Language
Destination(s): Australia, New Zealand
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Clemson University will establish a new, two-week credit-bearing study abroad program in American Sign Language (ASL). The program will investigate the governance of signed language policies in New Zealand and Australia as they relate to human rights and democracy. The IDEAS grant will support ASL faculty site visits to both locations to develop curricula and itineraries. The program provides full accessibility to Deaf students, who are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad, and complete language immersion for students learning ASL, as well as establishes a potential national model for ASL study abroad programs.  

Fayetteville Technical Community College

Location Fayetteville, NC
Institutional Profile: Two-Year, Public
Program Title: FTCC STEM Abroad
Destination(s): Belize, Bermuda
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Fayetteville Technical Community College will create its first faculty-led STEM study abroad program through its IDEAS grant. Math and Science Division faculty will foster partnerships and explore program and research opportunities on climate, energy, and environmental topics for students at scientific, educational field stations in Belize and Bermuda. The goal of the project is to increase the number of students engaged in STEM activities, both abroad and on campus, and the number and diversity of students participating in study abroad overall. The college will utilize its IDEAS funding to support faculty site visits to Bermuda and Belize where Math and Science Division faculty will foster partnerships and explore program and research opportunities on climate, energy, and environmental topics for students at scientific, educational field stations. Funding will also be used to create digital marketing materials and purchase field equipment to be used during the program.  

Florida Memorial University

Location: Miami Gardens, FL
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private, Historically Black College and University
Program Title: FMU Global: The Africa and African Diaspora Project
Destination(s): Brazil, Colombia, South Africa
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Technology and Innovation

Florida Memorial University (FMU), a historically Black university, will establish approximately 15 heritage-related (opportunities that connect students to their ancestral history) virtual exchange programs within the School of Business, School of Education, and Healthcare Program. Specifically, the IDEAS grant will support site visits by FMU faculty to develop partnerships with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa, the University of São Paulo in Brazil, and the Universidad del Valle in Colombia. The grant will also support faculty development workshops and trainings to create education abroad faculty champions who will increase awareness of study abroad on campus. 

Georgia Gwinnett College

Location: Lawrenceville, GA
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public, Hispanic-serving Institution
Program Title: The Impact of Water Pollutants on Health and Biodiversity in Cameroon
Destination(s): Cameroon
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Georgia Gwinnett College, a Hispanic-serving institution, will develop its first study abroad program on the African continent through its IDEAS grant. Expanding on a partnership with the University of Bamenda in Cameroon, the School of Science and Technology will develop a month-long, credit-bearing faculty-led study abroad program. In this program, students will apply biology, statistics, and chemistry to address problems in biodiversity, the environment, and public health. The college will utilize part of its IDEAS grant to fund student study abroad ambassadors on campus to market the program to the student body and develop resources to be distributed to students and their families. Funding will also be allocated to defray the cost of faculty travel to Cameroon. The IDEAS grant will also support a supplemental virtual exchange component for collaborative science projects with students in Cameroon to build science, technology, engineering, and mathematics competencies among all attendees. Through new targeted recruitment materials, the program also aims to increase male participation in study abroad as men, particularly male students of color, are underrepresented in study abroad. 

Grinnell College

Location: Grinnell, IA
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private
Program Title: Diversifying Faculty-led Global Programs at Grinnell College
Destination(s): Colombia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

Using IDEAS grant funding, Grinnell College will organize a five-day faculty development workshop in Colombia on course development for short-term, course-embedded faculty-led travel. The training will concentrate on equity and inclusion, focusing on Colombia’s Afro-Caribbean communities. The workshop’s location in Colombia was strategically selected to encourage the creation of new, site-based study abroad modules in Latin America. By developing faculty capacity to lead short-term course travel, Grinnell College will increase the number of courses with faculty-led travel components, thereby increasing the number of students studying abroad and enabling the institution to better meet student demand for education abroad. The IDEAS grant will allow Grinnell to contract with a study abroad provider to host the workshop and fund faculty travel to the workshop site.  

Kettering University

Location: Flint, MI
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private
Program Title: Developing a COIL/Hybrid Study Abroad in Central Asia
Destination(s): Kyrgyzstan
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

With its IDEAS grant, Kettering University’s School of Management aims to increase the number of students engaged in international learning and decrease cost barriers associated with study abroad by developing a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) entrepreneurship course. Through this course, students will develop plans to sell products or services across national boundaries with an option to travel for ten days to Kyrgyz State Technical University (KSTU) in Kyrgyzstan. The IDEAS grant will fund a faculty visit to KSTU to solidify the partnership and commence COIL course development. This short-term program will provide students with a cost-effective option for participating in study abroad and expand the institution’s offerings to a less-common study abroad destination.   

Madison Area Technical College

Location: Madison, WI
Institutional Profile: Two-Year, Public
Program Title: Expanding Community College Underrepresented Student Access to Africa: Study Abroad and High Impact Engagement in Kenya and Rwanda
Destination(s): Kenya, Rwanda
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Through its IDEAS grant, Madison Area Technical College aims to strengthen its education abroad programming in Africa, both in-person and virtually, and increase overall study abroad participation with a focus on African American students, who are underrepresented in study abroad. To that end, the institution will develop a two-week, interdisciplinary faculty-led field study program in Kenya and Rwanda. This will be the first study abroad offering for the institution in Africa and will focus on the environment and ecotourism in East Africa. In addition, Madison Area Technical College will adapt its curriculum in journalism and African history to include virtual exchange components. The institution will also collaborate with its Retention Initiatives and Student Engagement unit to develop culturally relevant and responsive programming to increase study abroad participation among African American students. To support these activities, the college will utilize its IDEAS grant to fund faculty and staff travel to Kenya and Rwanda, contract with a virtual exchange provider and onsite program providers, create recruitment materials, and hire student workers as peer coaches. 

Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution, Hispanic-serving Institution
Program Title: Women Crossing Boundaries and Borders: Women’s Empowerment and Global Experiential Learning from Los Angeles to Nairobi and Valparaíso
Destination(s): Chile, Kenya
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

Mount Saint Mary’s University, a Hispanic-serving and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving women’s university, aims to enhance its education abroad offerings and increase study abroad participation among first-generation students of color through its IDEAS grant. The grant will support faculty travel to Chile and Kenya to establish new university partnerships and develop two new faculty-led study abroad programs. The interdisciplinary courses will focus on female empowerment, providing students with a cross-cultural and intersectional understanding of the topic. To encourage participation in the programs, Mount Saint Mary’s University will also develop inclusive recruitment materials focused on first-generation students of color, who are underrepresented in study abroad, and their families. 

Oregon State University College of Forestry

Location: Corvallis, OR
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: OSU Forestry Study Abroad in Chile – Development Workshop
Destination(s): Chile
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Oregon State University’s College of Forestry will develop a faculty-led study abroad program titled the Patagonia Student Experience focused on forestry and natural resources with partner institutions in Chile. This program will build off the institution’s previous initiatives in the country and further solidify the institution’s partnerships with the Universidad de Chile and Universidad de Aysén. As the first study abroad program within the college that will take place for a full academic term, students will participate in an immersive experience focused on the similar ecosystems of Patagonia and Oregon, climate change, natural resource management, and Indigenous and colonial history, all while meeting their degree requirements. IDEAS grant funding will support a site visit for Oregon State University faculty to collaborate with their Chilean partners to develop the experiential program curriculum. 

Parkland College

Location: Champaign, IL
Institutional Profile: Two-Year, Public
Program Title: Parkland Study Abroad in Taiwan
Destination(s): Taiwan
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education

Through its IDEAS grant, Parkland College, a community college, will develop the Parkland Study Abroad in Taiwan (PSAT) program to increase and diversify study abroad participants and opportunities at Parkland College and other colleges in the Midwest. Specifically, the grant will support the development of an enhanced curriculum for two humanities study abroad courses to Taiwan, the creation of study abroad marketing materials to reach underrepresented study abroad populations, and a faculty site visit to Taiwan to plan for a study abroad program in 2025. Parkland College will collaborate with the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs to expand the reach of this program, allowing students from up to 30 other institutions in Illinois and Wisconsin to participate in this new opportunity in Asia.  

Pellissippi State Community College

Location: Knoxville, TN
Institutional Profile: Two-Year, Public
Program Title: Building a Peer Learning Community to Grow Education Abroad at Community Colleges
Destination(s): United States 
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Pellissippi State Community College will lead a partnership between the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS) and the Forum on Education Abroad to create a peer learning community among a cohort of community college systems across the United States based on the TnCIS consortium model. International educators from community colleges will first apply to participate in a professional development and learning opportunity. Three individuals will then be selected to partner with a mentor and gain access to networking and shadowing opportunities within education abroad offices and at international education conferences. Following the year-long program and an IDEAS grant-funded site visit to observe an active TnCIS program in Europe, participants will create resources on developing study abroad programs at community colleges to share publicly. IDEAS grant funding will support the costs of attendance and travel for the Forum on Education Abroad and TnCIS conferences, as well as an international site visit for the selected program participants. 

Regis College

Location: Weston, MA
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private
Program Title: Operación Acceso: Healthcare Professionals at Home and Abroad
Destination(s): Bolivia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Global Health

Through its IDEAS grant, the Regis College’s School of Health Sciences will create a faculty-led study abroad course to Bolivia and develop campus-wide education abroad marketing campaigns targeting underrepresented students in study abroad. The course will count as a prerequisite for several health science disciplines and focus on the interdependence of healthcare professions. The program and marketing campaign will support an overall increase in study abroad participation with a targeted focus on first-generation, Black, and Latinx students, who are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. IDEAS grant funding will support the administrative costs of developing the program and a site visit to Bolivia for Regis College faculty. 

Richard Bland College

Location: Petersburg, VA
Institutional Profile: Two-Year, Public
Program Title: International Richard Bland College “I-RBC”
Destination(s): Madagascar
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Global Health

Through its IDEAS grant, Richard Bland College will develop its first study abroad program, the I-RBC, in Madagascar. This program will target female students of color studying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, traditionally underrepresented fields in study abroad. Grant funding will support a site visit to Madagascar to develop the program in collaboration with Sadabe, Richard Bland College’s in-country partner. The program will be comprised of in-person and virtual engagement opportunities. It will connect students to humanitarian efforts, biodiversity research, and public health components through virtual reality modules to precede and enhance the study abroad experience. Students can then elect to participate in the 10-day, in-person program to continue studying these topics on the ground, gaining a fresh perspective on fundamental concepts related to international exchange, global health, and globalization.  

Rochester Institute of Technology

Location: Rochester, NY
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private
Program Title: European Deaf Culture: A Pilot Program in Community Engaged Learning
Destination(s): Croatia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) will use its IDEAS grant to develop a pilot project in European Deaf Culture based in Zagreb, Croatia, to expand accessible study abroad offerings for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, who are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. Specifically, RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the world’s first and largest technical college for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, will create a four-week summer study abroad program for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students to learn about Deaf culture, sign language, and human rights in the region. IDEAS grant funding will support a faculty site visit to Croatia to develop the study abroad program. 

Rutgers University-Camden

Location: Camden, NJ
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Abroad Certificate Qualifying for Internationally Relevant Education (ACQUIRE)
Destination(s): Hungary, United Kingdom
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Global Health

Through its IDEAS grant, the Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing will increase and diversify the number of nursing students, an underrepresented discipline in education abroad, participating in study abroad programs by developing short-term programs at Semmelweis University in Hungary. Grant funding will be used to develop a course tentatively titled Health and Healing in Hungary, and to establish a global health micro-credential program to certify student competencies on the subject through a faculty site visit. The developed course will feature programming focused on infectious diseases in Hungary coupled with a study of Florence Nightingale’s influential healthcare work in London, UK.   

Shoreline Community College

Location: Shoreline, WA
Institutional Profile: Two-Year, Public, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution
Program Title: Service-Learning for Nursing Students – Bolivia
Destination(s): Bolivia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Global Health

Shoreline Community College, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, aims to make study abroad more accessible to students studying nursing, who are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. Through its IDEAS grant, the institution will build upon a study and service-learning abroad program model in Bolivia, partnering with the University of Upal Nursing and the non-profit Smiles Forever. It will create and deliver a two-week, faculty-led study abroad program that develops students’ global competencies and increases study abroad participation among students in the nursing discipline. The IDEAS grant will fund administrative costs related to program development and implementation, as well as a faculty site visit to Bolivia to meet with in-country partners and finalize the service-learning component of the study abroad program.  

St. Cloud State University

Location: St. Cloud, MN
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Exchange
Destination(s): Australia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

St. Cloud State University will leverage its institutional partnerships and heritage-based study abroad programs (opportunities that connect students to their ancestral history) to create an education abroad opportunity for Native American students. This program will facilitate a short-term exchange between U.S. Native American students and non-American Indigenous students in Australia. Students will analyze the relationship between people, land, and the environment; compare Indigenous knowledge systems and sustainability projects; and examine relationships between sovereignty, land, and governance through an Indigenous lens. The IDEAS grant funds will also support the development of an online co-teaching model and related curricula with Southern Cross University in Australia, a site visit to Australia, and marketing materials.  

Transylvania University

Location: Lexington, KY
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private
Program Title: Global Health and Development in Ecuador: Expanding International Opportunities for Pre-Health Students
Destination(s): Ecuador
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Global Health

Transylvania University, a small liberal arts university, will increase pre-health students’ participation in study abroad by designing and implementing a faculty-led global health course to Ecuador. Pre-health students represent 25% of Transylvania University’s student body but only 18% are study abroad participants due to the restrictions of the major. IDEAS grant funding will be utilized to support course design, as well as development of a student peer mentoring program, targeted marketing materials, and on-campus recruitment events to effectively recruit students from underrepresented populations. 

University of Alabama in Huntsville

Location: Huntsville, AL
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Diverse and Inclusive Study Abroad Programs for Engineering Students
Destination(s): Colombia, Peru
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Technology and Innovation

Through its IDEAS grant, the University of Alabama in Huntsville aims to increase study abroad participation among engineering students, particularly those from low-income, first-generation, or other historically underrepresented backgrounds. The institution will create a faculty-led, short-term study abroad program model that condenses full-credit engineering courses and combines them with international programming in Colombia and Peru. The IDEAS grant will support various activities including targeted trainings for faculty and staff, development of foreign partnerships, implementation of pilot study abroad programs in Colombia and Peru, and creation of a student ambassador program to promote study abroad on-campus.   

University of Connecticut

Location: Storrs, CT
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Developing Navy STEM Partnerships and Programming in Experiential Learning in Australia to Support the Australia – United Kingdom – United States Partnership
Destination(s): Australia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Technology and Innovation

The University of Connecticut National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology will utilize its IDEAS grant to strengthen critical partnerships and build a faculty-led study abroad program in Australia, supporting the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Through the study abroad program, students will learn about Australia’s military, its role in enhancing the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, technology innovation, and the sharing of undersea capabilities. The program will increase the participation of STEM and engineering students, two groups traditionally underrepresented in study abroad, in global training and research collaboration. IDEAS funding will be used to support faculty administrative and travel costs associated with a site visit to Australia to identify program partnerships and experiential student opportunities.  

University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc.

Location: Lawrence, KS
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Race, History, & Health in African and African Diasporic Communities
Destination(s): Brazil, Cuba, Nigeria
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Global Health

The University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc. will develop its first hybrid study abroad program on the interconnections between race, history, and health in Africa and the African diaspora. The university will utilize its IDEAS grant to support site visits to Brazil, Cuba, and Nigeria to collect pedagogical materials for the virtual modules. Following program completion, staff will use evaluation data to develop effective student recruitment and communication strategies to increase participation among underrepresented student populations, including African American, Latinx, and first-generation students, in future programs.   

University of Maryland Baltimore County

Location: Baltimore, MD
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution
Program Title: STEM Abroad: Facilitating Study Abroad Access to Minoritized STEM Students through a Short-Term, Research-Oriented Program
Destination(s): Spain
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Global Health

The University of Maryland Baltimore County, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, will launch a three-week, faculty-led STEM research-oriented study abroad program. IDEAS grant funding will support faculty salary and site visit travel costs to develop an affordable and academically inclusive study abroad experience, allowing more students to enroll across STEM disciplines, which are underrepresented in study abroad. This program will combine asynchronous online learning prior to departure followed by hands-on training and internships at research institutes in Spain. Students will gain first-hand experience in biomedical research, develop their intercultural competencies, and expand their understanding of global scientific networks.  

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Let’s Explore: The Impact of Education Systems on Student Future Identity
Destination(s): Morocco
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has partnered with Durham Technical Community College to develop a three-way Collaborative Online International Learning Plus (COIL+) program with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco for its IDEAS project. The IDEAS grant will support an intercultural competence expert to aid in developing the new COIL+ course, a site visit to Morocco for faculty to explore potential language learning collaborations, and travel to Morocco for two faculty with students at the end of the semester. The course, which explores U.S. and Moroccan education systems and how they shape identity, will culminate in a one-week, faculty-led study abroad experience that decreases financial barriers for students by offering a cost-effective, short-term option for study abroad. It will be the first program in the Middle East and North Africa region for Durham Technical Community College. The University of North Carolina will also support broader capacity building for community colleges in the region by offering COIL+ trainings for community college faculty in the local Durham area. 

University of Rhode Island

Location: Providence, RI
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Globalizing and Diversifying Teacher Education Curriculum in Rhode Island
Destination(s): Colombia, Sierra Leone
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education, Democracy and Human Rights

With its IDEAS grant, the University of Rhode Island School of Education will establish two study abroad programs in Colombia and Sierra Leone as mandatory components of its newly developed Global Education minor. Providing students with global teaching competencies and international experiential opportunities is critical in cultivating a culturally responsive teaching practice for future educators. More broadly, this project will increase the university’s capacity to administer study abroad programs for traditionally underrepresented disciplines, such as education students, and students from historically underrepresented populations, such as students of color and low-income students, by creating cross-disciplinary, short-term programs. IDEAS grant funds will support faculty travel costs as they conduct site visits to the program countries to organize logistics, prepare student activities, and perform a thorough risk assessment. 

University of South Dakota

Location: Vermillion, SD
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Fostering First-Year Resiliency in England
Destination(s): United Kingdom
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

The Gallagher International Center at the University of South Dakota, in collaboration with TRIO Student Support Services and St. Cloud State University at Alnwick, England, will increase access to global programming for first-year students by developing a new, short-term faculty-led program. It will build on the university’s partnerships and networks to support historically underrepresented students such as Pell-eligible, first-generation, and racial and ethnic minority students, and enable first-year students to build resiliency skills that will help them succeed in their higher education journey. It will take place annually with the overall goal of assessing and studying the impact of study abroad experience for first-year students on retention rates and engagement. IDEAS grant funds will support faculty administrative and travel costs for the student program, consultant costs for St. Cloud State at Alnwick, England, and program marketing materials.  

University of Texas at San Antonio

Location: San Antonio, TX
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public, Hispanic-serving Institution
Program Title: Building Global Citizens by Studying Migration in Oaxaca, Mexico: Developing a Study Abroad Program with Experiential-Learning at a Hispanic Serving Institution
Destination(s): Mexico
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

Through its IDEAS grant, the University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic-serving institution, aims to increase the number of first-generation and Latinx students, who are underrepresented in study abroad, participating in education abroad programming. Specifically, the institution will build students’ global competencies by developing a four-week, faculty-led summer program in Mexico focused on migration. IDEAS grant funding will support a faculty site visit to Oaxaca, Mexico to select an in-country partner organization; consultant costs for the partner organization’s assistance in curriculum development; and administrative costs for faculty to develop and lead implementation of the program. This program will combine level-appropriate, intensive Spanish language classes with homestays and experiential learning courses that study migration through interdisciplinary and culturally responsive approaches. Following the international experience, faculty will work with students to translate their new skills into a plan for their curricular and professional pathways. Merging classroom learning with real-world experience will provide students with a deeper understanding of the complex causes of migration.

University of Wisconsin – River Falls

Location: River Falls, WI
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Renewable Energy Creating Opportunities for New Educational Collaboration and Travel Abroad (RECONECT Abroad)
Destination(s): Norway, Iceland
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Climate, Energy, and the Environment, Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation

With its IDEAS grant, the University of Wisconsin River Falls will develop new study abroad courses, research, and internship opportunities in Iceland and Norway focusing on environmental and economic issues surrounding renewable energy. The IDEAS grant will fund faculty site visits to Iceland and Norway in order to develop relationships with universities and other local partners and identify sites to support the new, interdisciplinary programs. These programs will specifically target first-generation students, as well as students studying conservation and environmental planning, geology, environmental science, and environmental engineering, all groups which are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad.

Ursinus College

Location: Collegeville, PA
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private
Program Title: Expanding Short-Term Programs: Towards a Global Competencies Certificate
Destination(s): Mexico, South Korea
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

Through its IDEAS grant, Ursinus College, a small liberal arts college, will create two faculty-led study abroad programs to South Korea and Mexico that will serve as the foundation of a Global Competencies Certificate to expand students’ capacities as global citizens and professionals. Ursinus College will recruit up to 20 students per program, focusing on historically underrepresented students in study abroad, including Pell-eligible and first-generation students. The three-week South Korea program will focus on human rights with activities such as observing trials and visiting South Korea-based human rights organizations. The Mexico program will examine the public and private healthcare systems of Mexico, as well as study local prevailing health issues and responses to manage and contain infectious diseases from a cross-cultural perspective. IDEAS grant funding will support faculty administrative costs as they lead the study abroad programs; student assistant administrative costs to develop program marketing materials; consultant costs for a guest lecturer to speak with faculty on curriculum integration models, and travel costs for faculty site visits to the program countries. 

Utah Valley University

Location: Orem, UT
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Public
Program Title: Building Faculty Capacity to Provide First-Generation Students Access to Study Abroad
Destination(s): Estonia, Finland
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education

Utah Valley University’s (UVU) School of Education will enhance faculty expertise in leading study abroad programs through site visits to Estonia and Finland. This experience will initiate a faculty community of practice on UVU’s campus, whose members will use firsthand experience gained through the IDEAS grant-funded site visits to recruit and engage students with a focus on underrepresented groups, especially first-generation students, for future study abroad programs. Additionally, the faculty site visits to the two destinations will provide faculty with opportunities for professional learning and exchange based on both countries’ essential contributions to advancing contemporary K-12 education. 

Xavier University

Location: Cincinnati, OH
Institutional Profile: Four-Year, Private
Program Title: XU to Ireland: Developing Equitable Access for Students (IDEAS)
Destination(s): Ireland
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Xavier University is committed to increasing and diversifying study abroad opportunities for education majors and students with disabilities, particularly students on the autism spectrum or with related disorders. Through its IDEAS funding, Xavier faculty will conduct an exploratory trip to Ireland to determine study abroad accessibility for students with a wide variety of disabilities and complete syllabus development for a planned course in partnership with Mary Immaculate College in Ireland. The course will analyze educational policies of the United States and Ireland for students with disabilities. By providing inclusive study abroad opportunities, Xavier University will support students in gaining critical global competencies that will help advance the U.S. economy and expand professional opportunities for students in the U.S. workforce while meeting major and minor requirements for education majors.  

2022 Grant Competition Finalists

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, USA Study Abroad branch, and its implementing partner, World Learning, are pleased to announce that 44 U.S. colleges and universities have been awarded grants through our 2022 Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program grant competition. With the support of the IDEAS grants, these institutions will develop and expand study abroad programs around the world that are aligned with U.S. foreign policy goals and provide international experiences for U.S. students. This year, we are proud to have doubled the number of IDEAS grants and are committed to continuing our robust support for U.S. colleges and universities as they build and diversify their study abroad capacity.

The winning U.S. colleges and universities represent public and private institutions from 32 states and Puerto Rico, including 10 community colleges and 18 Minority Serving Institutions. These U.S. colleges and universities will receive funding and programmatic support to help build and strengthen their capacity to send more American students overseas who fully reflect our country’s diversity and to help students engage with more diverse destinations abroad. Funded projects will support such activities as developing new international partnerships and programs, training faculty and staff in program development and implementation, creating resources to engage diverse student groups in study abroad and developing virtual and hybrid exchanges. The grant period is September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2024.

Congratulations to the following 44 colleges and universities on their 2022 IDEAS grants.

Austin Community College

Location: Austin, TX
Program Title: Reaching Across Borders: Expanding Global Education through COIL
Destinations: Azerbaijan, El Salvador
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Global Health, Democracy and Human Rights,

Project Summary: Austin Community College plans to use its IDEAS grant to launch Reaching Across Borders: Expanding Global Education through COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning). Grant funding will support collaboration with partner institutions in El Salvador and Azerbaijan and the development of COIL course modules for nursing and psychology students. The nursing COIL course will take a comparative approach to examining access to and delivery of public health care to underserved communities in Texas and El Salvador. The psychology COIL course will introduce students to peace and conflict studies by exploring the cultural aspects of conflict transformation and peace building in Azerbaijan. As a Hispanic-serving institution, Austin Community College aims to introduce historically underrepresented student populations to the study abroad experience through an accessible and affordable virtual model.

Albany State University

Location: Albany, GA
Program Title: Building Capacity for Pre-Service Teacher Education Students with Rural and SOS Ghana Schools
Destination: Ghana
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education

Project Summary: As the largest public Historically Black University in Georgia, Albany State University is committed to increasing the number of African American undergraduate students studying abroad, as well as diversifying international field and clinical experiences for pre-service teachers. Through its IDEAS grant, the institution will build capacity for its pre-service teachers by creating an international practicum in which students will teach and investigate the needs of disadvantaged youth in rural Ghana via a partnership with SOS Children’s Villages. Engaging with a rural community outside of the United States is important to Albany State University, as the institution is also located in a rural area and consists of many students from low-income and immigrant backgrounds. In Ghana, students will have the opportunity to deeply engage with a new culture, community, and pedagogical practice that can enhance their teaching skills in American and global contexts.

Bennett College

Location: Greensboro, NC
Program Title: Empowering Global Climate Justice Warriors: Increasing HBCU Faculty and Black Women Studying Climate Change Abroad
Destinations: Costa Rica, South Africa, Tanzania
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Project Summary: Bennett College, a Historically Black College for women, reaffirms its commitment to civic engagement and social justice by using its IDEAS grant to launch Empowering Global Climate Justice Warriors: Increasing HBCU Faculty and Black Women Studying Climate Change Abroad. Bennett faculty will develop study abroad programs rooted in environmental justice and climate change in one of three locations—Costa Rica, South Africa, or Tanzania. Faculty will engage with international partners to learn about the country’s approach to sustainability and social equity. Through collaboration and site visits, faculty will develop new courses centered on environmental justice, sustainability, climate change and/or policy development. Grant funding will also support faculty with training to guide underrepresented students in study abroad experiences focused on environmental justice, food security, and sustainable agriculture.

California State University, Bakersfield

Location: Bakersfield, CA
Program Title: Faculty-led Study Abroad Nursing Program to Diverse Nations
Destinations: Guatemala, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Peru
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Global Health

Project Summary: California State University, Bakersfield will develop a series of credit-bearing faculty-led courses to study nursing practices in Guatemala, Mexico, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Peru. These 10-day programs will operate at an affordable cost and include academic study, medical facility visits, and service-learning projects in urban and rural settings. By lowering cost and credit barriers, the institution hopes to attract a more diverse study abroad cohort, incorporating students of all backgrounds. Once established, the programs will become a part of the nursing department’s regular offerings. Through these experiences, students will gain first-hand knowledge of health conditions and healthcare services in other countries, including the opportunity to apply their nursing skills to real-world situations. By the end of the experience, students will return to the United States with a deepened understanding of global health issues and a more empathetic view of patients from other cultures.

Central College

Location: Pella, IA
Program Title: Opening the World to Students: Interdisciplinary Short-term Faculty-led Study Abroad Development Project
Destinations: Greece, Iceland, Kuwait, Morocco
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education

Project Summary: Central College’s IDEAS grant project will create four new interdisciplinary short-term, faculty-led programs with anticipated enrollment in Spring 2024. The institution seeks to achieve study abroad representation proportional to the demographic makeup of its student body, with a particular focus on first-generation students. The institution will achieve these goals by identifying a cohort of eight faculty members from diverse disciplines to engage in workshops on developing study abroad programs and supporting historically underrepresented students. With this foundation, the faculty cohort will form four teams, each of which will design a new interdisciplinary short-term faculty-led study abroad program and conduct an on-site exploration trip. The program will incorporate Central College’s Engaged Citizen core curriculum and a new social justice minor, making the course accessible and easy to integrate into the general curriculum. Through the program, participants will gain an international perspective and develop critical cross-cultural competencies.

Central State University

Location: Wilberforce, OH
Program Title: Engaging Students in a New Global Agriculture Environment
Destination: The Bahamas
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Project Summary: Through the IDEAS grant, Central State University will establish the ENGAGE (Engaging Students in a New Global Agricultural Environment) Project in the School of Agricultural Education and Food Science. The project will implement the university’s first semester-long study abroad program, which will build on an existing partnership with the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute, and will be the first study abroad program at the institution to focus on climate, energy, and the environment. Additionally, this project will include professional development workshops for faculty, staff, and academic advisors on the process and procedures for engaging students in study abroad and developing new study abroad opportunities.

College of Southern Nevada

Location: Las Vegas, NV
Program Title: Global Pathways – Utilizing the Cohort Model to Empower Faculty-Led Internationalization of the Institution at Home and Abroad
Destinations: Global
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: The College of Southern Nevada, a Hispanic-serving institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, will launch a new Global Pathways program with its IDEAS grant. This two-pronged initiative utilizes a cohort model to empower community college faculty to develop in-person and virtual study abroad experiences. With the development of more faculty-led study abroad programming, the institution aims to increase the number of diverse students engaging in international and intercultural learning at two-year institutions. This initiative will also increase the college’s international institutional partnerships with other schools, organizations, and governments.

Elizabeth City State University

Location: Elizabeth City, NC
Program Title: International Studies for Disaster Workers
Destinations: Barbados, Costa Rica
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Global Health

Project Summary: Elizabeth City State University’s Department of Aviation and Emergency Management and Office of International Programs have partnered to create the International Studies for Disaster Workers program. The objective of this program is to provide students with opportunities to work and study abroad to learn best practices in disaster management, building real-world competencies and creating a generation of well-equipped global citizens. With the IDEAS grant, the institution will develop partnerships with international disaster relief organizations, pairing faculty with field professionals to create study abroad experiences for students to Barbados and Costa Rica. These programs will focus on students in the field of emergency services, a population historically underrepresented in study abroad. Through this program, students will gain greater insights into international emergency services and develop skills that will prepare them for the global workforce.

Fox Valley Technical College

Location: Grand Chute, WI
Program Title: Program to Learn Agriculture and Natural Resources in The Bahamas
Destination: The Bahamas
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Project Summary: Fox Valley Technical College will use its IDEAS grant to support a faculty-led, short-term study abroad program for nontraditional students in agriculture and natural resources fields titled Program to Learn Agriculture and Natural Resources in The Bahamas (PLANT). The aim of this project is to facilitate experiential learning opportunities for underrepresented students that will foster cultural awareness. Grant funds will be used to send a faculty member from each department to The Bahamas to develop — and later lead — a program focused on sustainability, resource management, and agricultural best practices. Learning exercises, cultural experiences, and personal growth will build professional success for participants and equip them for the modern globalized workforce. Upon the students’ return, the institution will facilitate peer-to-peer connections between participants and incoming Bahamian international students.

Heartland Community College

Location: Normal, IL
Program Title: Three New Countries and Beyond
Destinations: Finland, South Africa, Tanzania
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Global Health

Project Summary: Heartland Community College will use its IDEAS grant to create study abroad programs focused on agriculture, career, and technical education (CTE), and health sciences in Finland, South Africa, and Tanzania. With grant funding, the institution will form new ties with African study abroad organizations and expand upon its partnership with International Riveria College in Finland for a new CTE student exchange program in renewable energy and industrial technology.  Faculty teams will visit each host country to develop cost-effective study abroad programs designed to reach students from underrepresented majors and backgrounds. By expanding upon its study abroad opportunities, Heartland Community College will reach more students, increase study abroad visibility on campus, and enable students to gain a broader world view.

Hollins University

Location: Hollins, VA
Program Title: Building Capacity in Kenya and Expanding Student Access to Global Experience
Destinations: Kenya
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Democracy and Human Rights; Global Health

Project Summary: Hollins University, a women’s college, will expand its study abroad offerings through the creation of programs in Kenya focused on women’s rights and public health. These programs will examine comparative health systems between the United States and Kenya and enhance students’ knowledge of women’s health advocacy in both countries. This initiative builds upon connections formed through a previous Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence hosted at Hollins from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. Grant-funded site visits will further enhance this partnership, resulting in the creation of both short-term and semester-long program options. Grant funding will also be used to develop and promote these programs, including the creation of a reusable, interdisciplinary study abroad model that incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion learning outcomes and intercultural competencies. Promotional activities will include a targeted marketing plan for recruiting underrepresented students and, after the pilot program concludes, the sharing of program outcomes to academic venues at Hollins University and nationally.

Indiana University – Bloomington, School of Education

Location: Bloomington, IN
Program Title: COOL Mentors
Destination: Ghana
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education; Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship.

Project Summary: Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Education, aims to develop and support a cohort of traditionally underrepresented faculty as study abroad mentors with the goal of better engaging and supporting underrepresented students in study abroad. The institution will bring together three collaborating units: the Global and International Engagement Initiative, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Global Gateway for Teachers to expand study abroad options for students. Faculty mentors will participate in four stages of programming: Course Development, Overseas Travel, and Overseas Leadership (COOL) before becoming mentors for students of color participating in the Global Gateway for Teachers study abroad program.

James Madison University

Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Program Title: Beyond the Valley
Destination: Dominican Republic
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship.

Project Summary: With its IDEAS grant, James Madison University will launch a two-pronged initiative to increase low-income and first-generation student study abroad participation. The institution will first develop and implement a semester-long program in the Caribbean focused on environmental studies and geotourism, which will be tailored to the identified student groups. James Madison University will use this program to examine student perspectives and experiences. The findings will be used to create responsive marketing and recruitment materials for future programs.  Successful implementation of the program activities will lead to a research-based awareness of historically underrepresented student needs as they relate to international education.

Lindenwood University

Location: St. Charles, MO
Program Title: Expanding Access to Study Abroad in Iraq through Virtual Exchange
Destination: Iraq
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Global Health

Project Summary: Lindenwood University will use its IDEAS grant to engage students typically underrepresented in study abroad, including student athletes, freshmen, Pell-grant eligible students, and historically underrepresented students through a virtual exchange program. The virtual exchange program will be in collaboration with the University of Mosul in Iraq and will utilize an adapted framework of the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) method in combination with virtual reality technologies. At least ten courses within the institution’s College of Arts and Humanities, College of Business and Entrepreneurship, and/or First Year Seminars will be selected to embed course-based virtual experiences into their curricula. Students studying human culture and society and marketing will experience a new and creative way of learning to enhance their world perspective and technological skill sets.

Lone Star College

Location: Richmond, TX
Program Title: Business of Economics and Entrepreneurship
Destination: Morocco
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: Lone Star College, a two-year college and Hispanic-serving institution, will use its IDEAS grant to expand access to study abroad within its diverse student population. The institution will partner with the University of Rabat to develop an interdisciplinary exchange program focusing on business and economics. The BEE Project (Business of Economics and Entrepreneurship) will create a hybrid faculty-led study abroad program through the development of a “learning communities course,” which will contain virtual co-curricular exchanges with an emphasis on business, economics, entrepreneurship, international commerce, and exchange. The virtual faculty collaboration will also serve as a continuous feedback loop from faculty to address challenges, produce a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual, and develop experiential learning opportunities/internship options for both Lone Star College and University of Rabat students who participate in the mobility course.

Marian University

Location: Indianapolis, IN
Program Title: Diversifying Faculty-led Study Abroad Programming at Marian University
Destinations: Austria, Germany, Spain
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment, Democracy and Human Rights

Project Summary: Marian University’s IDEAS project will establish two faculty-led programs that will diversify the pool of students participating in study abroad. Marian plans to intentionally recruit students from three groups: Marian’s newly merged two-year college, Ancilla College, STEM students, and students from the growing Latinx/Hispanic student body. In the first program, STEM students will travel to Spain to increase their knowledge of successful models that protect biodiversity and environmental conservation. The second program will focus on a comparative collective memory course in Germany and/or Austria that will be designed to increase students’ understanding of the social impacts of historical reconciliation through just representations of the past and how this impacts a nation’s identity as well as its present and future.

Mott Community College

Location: Flint, MI
Program Title: Mott Community College Serves the World
Destinations: Costa Rica, Peru
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism and Education; Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Project Summary: Mott Community College’s IDEAS project will focus on building service abroad programs through the college’s Office of Experiential Learning. Through this project, selected faculty will participate in exploratory trips to Costa Rica and Peru to develop these programs. The project will also enhance institutional capacity by increasing faculty participation in a virtual exchange training program for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). In addition to these specific projects, Mott Community College aims to diversify the population of students studying abroad overall by collaborating with campus services and departments that support underrepresented students such as the TRIO office, Special Populations, Disability Services, Veteran Affairs, and Upward Bound.

Nebraska Wesleyan University

Location: Lincoln, NE
Program Title: Path to 100%: Expanding Intercultural Competency in Helping Professions Curricula Using COIL
Destination: Global
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: Nebraska Wesleyan University will enhance the capacity of faculty to create, manage, and sustain study abroad programs in less traditional study abroad destinations. Using grant funds, the institution will train faculty in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) methodologies to strengthen the institution’s capacity to develop more study abroad opportunities and establish new partnerships with institutions across the world. Having more offerings in less-traveled destinations will provide more opportunities for students in professional programs and majors to participate in and benefit from a global experience, which will lead to broader international awareness in future professions, such as teachers, counselors, policymakers, and care providers.

New College of Florida

Location: Sarasota, FL
Program Title: New College, New World: Creating Our First Two Exchange Programs in Morocco and Taiwan
Destination: Morocco, Taiwan
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Democracy and Human Rights, Climate Energy, and the Environment; Technology and Innovation

Project Summary: As a small, public, liberal arts honors college, the New College of Florida will establish its first bilateral exchange agreements with two institutions in Morocco and Taiwan. Two New College of Florida faculty and/or staff will travel to these locations, followed by a reciprocal visit from the partner institutions abroad to develop bilateral partnerships. These partnerships will increase access to global learning opportunities for students in traditionally underrepresented majors in study abroad and students with significant financial hardship. With courses offered in English at both respective institutions, students will have a diverse course selection that aligns with the institution’s current majors such as environmental studies, gender studies, critical language studies, and data analytics.

North Carolina State University

Location: Raleigh, NC
Program Title: Field Experiences in Engineering Education: Rwanda
Destination: Rwanda
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Democracy and Human Rights; Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Project Summary: At North Carolina State University, the Women and Minority Engineering Program is working to integrate global thinking and experiences into the practice of students currently underrepresented in engineering, such as women, students of color, and first-generation students. Through its IDEAS grant, the College of Engineering seeks to support this goal by developing a four-week study abroad program in Rwanda where students will engage in service learning, co-teaching, cultural experiences, and comparative analyses of the United States’ and Rwanda’s engineering practices. Prior to program departure, students will participate in interdisciplinary workshops focused on engineering entrepreneurship, improving access to renewable energy resources, and reducing food insecurity which will help them be more culturally and contextually prepared to engage with the local Rwandan community.

North Dakota State University

Location: Fargo, ND
Program Title: Getting the Ball Rolling: Development of Study Abroad with Internship Program Focused on Sport for Social Change
Destinations: South Africa, Tanzania
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; and Global Health.

Project Summary: North Dakota State University aims to expand study abroad and internship opportunities within the sport management unit of the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Science. The goal of the program is to establish a partnership network of sport-for-development organizations in South Africa and Tanzania to establish study abroad programming and internship placements focused on issues of global health, women’s empowerment, and social cohesion. This program will diversify the institution’s student experiential learning opportunities and encourage sport management students to study abroad. Grant funds will be used to identify potential partnerships, perform site visits, and develop a syllabus for a short-term study abroad course.

North Park University

Location: Chicago, IL
Program Title: Expanding Faculty Led Programs through Sustainable Study Abroad
Destination: Nepal
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Project Summary: North Park University aims to expand virtual and in-person abroad options for undergraduate students by partnering with The Green Program, an experiential learning program focused on sustainable development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Grant funding will allow North Park to create an affordable and impactful study abroad program in Nepal focused on climate, energy, and the environment and increase the number of students who can access education abroad experiences. The project will also train selected faculty on integrating in-person and virtual study abroad experiences into their courses. Additionally, the institution aims to increase students’ access to climate change, climate action, and sustainable development education regardless of academic major.

Northern Arizona University

Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Program Title: South America NAU: Fieldwork Semester
Destination: Chile, Peru 
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: Northern Arizona University (NAU) seeks to build its capacity in study abroad programs, locations, and student diversity through the creation of a new fieldwork abroad program, South America NAU: Fieldwork Semester. This program will allow students to complete a four-week intensive virtual Spanish language course followed by a 12-week experiential education program in three different locations in South America: Valle Sagrado, Perú; Atacama, Chile; and Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile. Students will engage in field work, take courses, and learn new skills in the following academic disciplines: anthropology, hotel and restaurant management, geography, planning and recreation, Spanish, environmental science, liberal studies, and general education. Through building these skills, students will gain the global competencies that will help advance the U.S. economy and expand professional opportunities for students in the U.S. workforce, especially within their industry-specific fields.

Oklahoma City Community College

Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Program Title: The Collaborative Efforts to Enhance Study Abroad Project
Destination: Mexico
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and Environment; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship.

Project Summary: Oklahoma City Community College will partner with McMurry University in Abilene, TX, to improve study abroad opportunities for students and develop a study abroad program at each campus. The project team will collaborate with the Institute of Economy in Xalapa, Mexico to design an in-person summer program focused on sustainable conservation alternatives. This project will give students the opportunity to explore the ecosystems and culture of Veracruz and the Puebla states in Mexico. Through the development of awareness-building campaigns for students and building faculty knowledge about developing credit-based study abroad programs, the project team plans to increase the capacity and diversity of study abroad programs.

Pacific University

Location: Forest Grove, OR
Program Title: Global Scholars – French Polynesia
Destination: French Polynesia
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Global Health; Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Democracy and Human Rights

Project Summary: Pacific University aims to increase diverse student participation in study abroad programs through the development of a study abroad program to French Polynesia as part of its Global Scholars first-year seminar, an initiative that creates faculty-led study abroad opportunities for first-year students. As an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, a focus on the Pacific Islands is both relevant to the student body and aligns with U.S. foreign policy goals. In French Polynesia, students will have the opportunity to address topics such as traditional healthcare, economic development, and the impact of French colonialism on the country.

Riverside Community College District (Moreno Valley College, Riverside City College and Norco College)

Location: Riverside, CA
Program Title: Diversifying & Expanding Global Learning Opportunities through Short-Term Study and Internship in Japan
Destination: Japan
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: Riverside Community College District will use its IDEAS grant to develop more pathways for low-income and technical career students to participate in international experiences. On behalf of Moreno Valley College, Riverside College, and Norco College, Riverside Community College District will establish and pilot a short-term study abroad course in Japan with the option of an in-person or virtual internship component. Riverside Community College District aims to then use lessons learned from this pilot to establish a model for short-term study and internship abroad programs that it can replicate in other academic fields and geographic locations to further increase study abroad participation. The overall goal of the project is to identify new strategies, tools, and resources to advance economic opportunities for students who are interested in business, international business, global trade, and marketing. This project will ensure that community college students in the California Inlands are well-prepared with experiences that will enable them to compete in a global marketplace.

St. Norbert College

Location: De Pere, Wisconsin
Program Title: Getting Down to Business: Promoting Entrepreneurship and Economic Development through an International Business Case Competition
Destination: Mexico
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: St. Norbert College aims to develop a two-week immersive experience during the January term, in partnership with Mexico’s Universidad Panamericana. The program will be offered to students in the International Business and Language Area Studies majors and will focus on economic development and business issues related to U.S-Mexico relations. The intended goal of this IDEAS project is to increase the number of students studying abroad – particularly those from historically underrepresented groups — and improve accessibility by offering a shorter study abroad option. Additionally, St. Norbert College will develop and host a culminating business case competition, which will provide students the opportunity to showcase the knowledge and skills gained from the experience.

SUNY Erie Community College

Location: Williamsville, NY
Program Title: Healthcare Disparities and Patient Outcomes in Ecuador
Destination: Ecuador
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Global Health; Technology and Innovation

Project Summary: SUNY Erie Community College will develop a faculty-led hybrid service abroad program, which will be embedded in a global public health course for health science students. Students will participate in the course virtually and have the option to complete a service abroad component in Ecuador. In the course, made possible by the IDEAS grant, all students will use virtual reality technology to understand the leading causes of illness, death, and disability related to social, environmental, and political factors that affect health and well-being in Ecuador.  By engaging students in international programming around global health and technology and innovation, SUNY Erie Community College will ensure its students are well-equipped for the global workforce and prepared to tackle pressing health issues in the United States and abroad.

The College of New Jersey

Location: Ewing Township, NJ
Program Title: Capacity Building for Comparative Global Public Health Engagement Between the U.S. and India
Destination: India
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Global Health

Project Summary: The College of New Jersey’s IDEAS grant will help advance an existing collaboration between the institution and the Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences in India. The two partners will develop joint curricula, virtual course components, and international faculty-led field experiences focused on global health, which will equip American and Indian faculty and students with comparative nursing, public health, and kinesiology skills. By engaging in research and educational projects with their Indian counterparts, The College of New Jersey’s students and faculty will gain an awareness of the health challenges faced in India and around the world, strengthen their global perspectives, and explore potential solutions to shared global health problems.

University of California Education Abroad Program

Location: Goleta, CA
Program Title: Study Abroad for All: Making UCEAP Accessible to Underrepresented Students
Destination: Global
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: The Communications and Engagement team at the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) will conduct research to gain a comprehensive understanding of gaps in its current marketing and advising materials in an effort to better understand students’ needs, especially those who are historically underrepresented in study abroad. This project, titled Study Abroad for All, will support focus groups and student user testing of UCEAP’s website. They will incorporate these learnings into creating more inclusive marketing and advising materials, such as the website, print materials, social media, and online publications for students, which will affect the entire University of California system by increasing study abroad applications across identity groups. There are significant potential economic impacts of this project, as students will have access to study abroad-specific reentry and career services that will help them integrate and leverage their learning from abroad to benefit their academic and career development.

University of Colorado

Location: Aurora, CO
Program Title: Sanas Por Todos: Undergraduate Nursing Community and Public Health Immersion Learning in Guatemala
Destination: Guatemala
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Democracy and Human Rights; Global Health

Project Summary: The University of Colorado’s College of Nursing will use its IDEAS grant to create Sanas por Todos, or Health for All, a new immersion learning experience in Guatemala for community and public health students. This initiative will reduce barriers to study abroad for nursing students by combining an in-country and virtual learning model that will allow University of Colorado students to gain global learning experiences and meet graduation requirements. Nursing faculty will develop a sustainable, scalable program with an existing health clinic established by the University of Colorado School of Medicine in rural Guatemala. This course will give students the opportunity to compare and contrast family planning and contraceptive access and education between the two countries and its global implications. This learning experience will be the first of its kind for the University of Colorado, and it will meet a critical need for nursing students to develop skills necessary for providing culturally competent care in a rapidly globalizing world.

University of Hawai‘i on behalf of Kapiolani Community College

Location: Honolulu, HI
Program Title: Militourism and Indigenous Identities in Hawai‘i and Okinawa
Destination: Japan
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: Kapi‘olani Community College, a Native Hawaiian-serving Institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution, will design and implement a week-long institute examining historical and contemporary issues related to the overlap of military bases, tourism, and indigenous peoples in Hawaii and Okinawa, Japan. The college seeks to expand upon its partnerships with institutions in Okinawa to provide study abroad offerings, particularly short-term and virtual programs that meet credit transfer requirements. These programs will focus on common priorities for both partner communities, such as closing skills gaps and spurring economic development in the natural resources and tourism industries and engaging foreign visitors in remediation efforts to promote local sustainability. Students will receive support from existing institutional services to ensure their success in this program, which will allow them to earn credit while exposing them to global issues and study abroad opportunities within the Asia-Pacific region.

University of Maine

Location: Orono, ME
Program Title: Initiating a Faculty-Led Study Abroad on Comparative Drug Policy in Lisbon, Portugal
Destination: Portugal
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Global Health

Project Summary: The University of Maine’s IDEAS grant will support the creation of a new three-week, faculty-led, immersive study abroad program on comparative drug policy between the United States and Portugal. The grant will provide critical resources that will help build and solidify a partnership between the University of Maine and Universidade Católica Portuguesa, as well as support student recruitment. The faculty-led program will provide an affordable alternative to semester-long study abroad opportunities in more expensive destinations and will prepare students with the knowledge and skills in comparing distinct public health approaches regarding the opioid crisis.

University of Memphis

Location: Memphis, TN
Program Title: Expanding Access to Study Abroad
Destination: Costa Rica
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: The University of Memphis aims to increase access to study abroad for first-generation, low-income students by strengthening the capacity of its academic advisors to support students considering study abroad, especially during their first or second year of study. The institution will use grant funds to conduct site visits to Vernitas University in Costa Rica to introduce ten academic advisors to the staff, community, and processes necessary to grow study abroad participation. With more students able to study abroad, more students will gain the critical competencies needed for the global workforce.

University of Minnesota

Location: Minneapolis, MN
Program Title: Self-Actualizing Study Abroad: Comprehensive Support for TRIO and Indigenous Students
Destinations: Brazil
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education; Democracy and Human Rights

Project Summary: The College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, in collaboration with TRIO Student Support Services and community partners from Red Lake Nation, aims to increase access to global programming for underrepresented students through its new Self-Actualizing Study Abroad program. This program, supported by the IDEAS grant, will build on the College’s existing partnership with the Universidade Federal of Espirito Santo in Vitória, Brazil, and will explore comparisons between the United States and Brazil on issues such as diversity, indigenous communities, and social movements. The institution will also design and implement supporting resources and services, including information sessions and workshops for students on financial planning, general travel skills, health and safety, career integration, and the ethics of international engagement. Through this program, the College hopes to empower students and celebrate their unique cultural identities, enabling them to engage in civil society and advocacy.

University of Puerto Rico

Location: Rio Piedras, PR
Program Title: Broadening the Participation of Underrepresented Hispanic Minorities in International Education
Destinations: Brazil, Colombia
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment

Project Summary: The University of Puerto Rico aims to increase Hispanic student participation in study abroad through the innovative development of a virtual and in-person exchange titled International Seminar on Energy and Environment. This course will be embedded into the curriculum for students minoring in renewable energy and sustainability. Students will have the opportunity to virtually learn from faculty at partner institutions and participate in a four-week in-country study abroad program in Brazil and Colombia. As a response to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the institution will use its IDEAS grant to train the next generation of green workers prepared to prevent and respond to climate disasters in the United States through experiential, global, and skill-based education.

University of South Alabama

Location: Mobile, AL
Program Title: Descendants Navigate Africa
Destinations: Benin, Cape Verde, Togo
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education; Technology and Innovation

Project Summary: The University of South Alabama will create a hybrid study abroad program called Descendants Navigate Africa that provides students the opportunity to explore shared heritage between Africatown, Alabama and West African communities. The IDEAS grant project will include a site visit to Togo and Benin for U.S. faculty to collaborate with their West African counterparts to design the virtual and in-person programming, which will focus on engaging students across countries on common topics related to civil society, education, journalism, and technology. This project aims to expose all students to less commonly traveled destinations with targeted outreach to increase the number of underrepresented students in study abroad, including African American students.

University of Southern California Annenberg

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Program Title: MESA:Mexico Experiential Storytelling Abroad
Destination: Mexico
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education

Project Summary: The University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism will use its IDEAS grant to develop a dual language, semester-length, hybrid study abroad course in Mexico. The goals of the program are to increase underrepresented student participation and interest in study abroad, to strengthen civil society by training students in international journalism, and to contribute to deeper understanding in reporting on stories involving the United States and Mexico. This project will increase the school’s study abroad capacity by establishing its first semester-length study abroad course in Mexico and providing a credit-bearing study abroad course specifically designed to be accessible to underrepresented students. Additionally, the model for hybrid semester-length study abroad can be replicated with other countries to build additional capacity for more diverse destinations for study abroad at the institution.

University of Texas at Arlington

Location: Arlington, TX
Program Title: An Interactive Cultural Exchange with Communities in Rural Kenya
Destination: Kenya
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: The University of Texas at Arlington, a Hispanic-serving institution, aims to diversify access to summer study abroad by creating affordable, experiential, full-credit courses. This project will build upon existing collaborations between the university’s School of Social Work and Collective for Orphan Care and Education, an international organization that works in rural Kenya, to develop an interactive service-learning, cross-disciplinary course accessible to diverse students and majors. This IDEAS project will increase multi-disciplinary learning options for students, diversify the university’s study abroad marketing strategies, and enhance resource sharing across departments, which will build capacity for future programs and establish foundations for campus and international collaborations.

University of Washington

Location: Seattle, WA
Program Title: International Indigenous Paths: Building Community Across the Canada-U.S. Border
Destination: Canada
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Democracy and Human Rights

Project Summary: The University of Washington, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution, will use its IDEAS grant to create International Indigenous Paths, supporting its goal of increasing the number of Indigenous students who study abroad. The University of Washington’s Native Scholars Program will partner with the University of British Columbia to recruit first-year Indigenous students and equip them with the tools to successfully navigate the study abroad experience, paving the way for future students to do the same. Several activities will support this objective, such as site visits to the University of British Columbia to introduce the students to peers, key staff, faculty members, and Indigenous spaces around campus; a faculty panel and class visits to give students an understanding of the academic opportunities available; and workshops to provide resources and guidance for students to navigate the study abroad application process. Through their experiences at the University of British Columbia, students will learn about Canadian climate change research and policy and leave with more knowledge and understanding of how Indigenous human rights are acknowledged and incorporated into the student experience at home and abroad.

University of Wyoming

Location: Laramie, WY
Program Title: Indigeneity in the Americas: Bahia, Brazil
Destination: Brazil
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education; Democracy and Human Rights

Project Summary: Through its IDEAS grant, the University of Wyoming will establish Indigeneity in the Americas: Bahia, Brazil, a faculty-led study abroad program that will bring undergraduate students together with members of the Pataxó Indigenous community in Brazil. The education abroad program will be based in the Native American and Indigenous Studies department and run by its faculty, which will help in the recruitment of Indigenous students and support sustainability of the program. The course will be an important contribution to the institution’s goals to expand the geographical reach of its study abroad programs, while also providing students with knowledge about Brazilian culture and insight into what it means to be Indigenous in Brazil. This study abroad course will be developed collaboratively with the Pataxó, who are working to revitalize their endangered language, and a key element of the course will be a first Language Revitalization Symposium. When students participate in this collaborative work with the Pataxó, while learning from them firsthand about historical genocide and ongoing erasure, they will gain insights into linguistic and cultural reclamation as a human rights issue, as well as how education can be used as a tool for social justice.

West Virginia University

Location: Morgantown, WV
Program Title: Mountaineers Go First and Rise! Increasing Study Abroad Opportunities for First-Generation and Students of Color
Destinations: Belize, Wales
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education; Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: Through its IDEAS grant, West Virginia University will create two faculty-led study abroad programs to Jamaica and Wales to provide more opportunities for first-generation, Black, and Latinx students to study abroad. These programs will be part of a new general education course that freshmen can take during their second semester. Both Jamaica and Wales have commonalities with the United States as English-dominant countries with minoritized languages and evolving mining industries, one of the state’s traditional industries. The program will enable students to experience the local culture, languages, and economies of each country and draw comparisons to the social and historical context of West Virginia. Students will confront topics such as the effects of colonialism on economic development, educational policies, and language rights. These experiences will help students gain the critical skills needed to succeed in an increasingly globalized and interconnected society.

Widener University

Location: Chester, PA
Program Title: Coffee Culture: Widener’s Internship Program in Costa Rica
Destination: Costa Rica
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Project Summary: Widener University will create a credit-bearing summer internship program in Costa Rica entitled Coffee Culture, aimed primarily at students of color, low-income students, and other students who are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. The internship’s format and content are strategically designed to enhance students’ awareness of climate change, energy, and the environment, and can fit into all majors at the university. In collaboration with Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, student interns will explore the importance of agricultural communities to Costa Rica’s economic, cultural, social, and environmental wellbeing and will ultimately understand the connections between their own consumer habits and their impact on environments in other parts of the world. Through the development of a comprehensive, replicable model, the IDEAS grant will not only help launch the program itself, but it will also build the necessary framework to promote and advocate for study abroad to all students regardless of their academic goals and intended destinations.

Xavier University of Louisiana

Location: New Orleans, LA
Program Title: Develop Impactful Vietnam-based Education abroad and Reimagine Student Engagement
Destination: Vietnam
Foreign Policy Goal Focus: Global Health

Project Summary: Xavier University of Louisiana, a Historically Black University, will use its IDEAS grant to create the Develop Impactful Vietnam-based Education Abroad and Reimagine Student Engagement (DIVERSE) program. This initiative aims to increase student participation from two groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the university’s study abroad programs: male and Asian/Pacific Islander students. This program will extend the university’s institutional partnerships in the region and provide a course in which students can examine global health policies, interventions, and outcomes, shadow a local hospital, and network with local health experts in Vietnam.

2021 Grant Competition Finalists

USA Study Abroad, within the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and World Learning are pleased to announce the 26 U.S. colleges and universities awarded 2021 IDEAS grants (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students Grants) through FY20 funding from the Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad. With the support of the IDEAS grants, these institutions will support the goals of U.S. foreign policy by developing and expanding their study abroad programming around the world.

Panels of U.S. higher education representatives recommended these institutions for funding from a pool of 132 proposals. The winning institutions come from 20 U.S. states and represent the full diversity of the American higher education system, including five community colleges and nine Minority Serving Institutions. Over the next year, these U.S. colleges and universities will receive funding and programmatic support to help build and strengthen their capacity to send more American students overseas to more diverse destinations for years to come. The grant period was June 1, 2021 through August 31, 2023.

Congratulations to the following colleges and universities on their 2021 IDEAS grants.

Albright College

Location:  Reading, PA
Program Title:  Diversifying Study Abroad Participation as Part of First Year Programming
Destinations: Ghana, Mexico, Ecuador
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Energy and Natural Resources

Boise State University

Location:  Boise, ID
Program Title:  Building Study Abroad Capacity Through Boise State Global Seminars
Destinations: Costa Rica
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Energy and Natural Resources

Bridgewater State University

Location:  Bridgewater, MA
Program Title:  Study Abroad: Strengthening Racial Justice Programming and Improving Outcomes for Students of Color
Destinations: Global
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Centralia College

Location:  Centralia, WA
Program Title:  Founding Centralia College’s First Study Abroad Program: Taiwan
Destinations:
 Taiwan
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights;
Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Energy and Natural Resources; Public Health

College of Staten Island

Location:  Staten Island, NY
Program Title:  Faculty Driven Solutions to Increasing Participation in Study Abroad
Destinations: Global
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Drake University

Location:  Des Moines, IA
Program Title:  Global Gateway in Panama
Destinations: Panama
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Countering Disinformation; Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Public Health

East Carolina University

Location:  Greenville, NC
Program Title:  Virtual Exchange to Study Abroad for the Arts (VESA for the Arts)
Destinations: Kenya, Taiwan
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Fayetteville State University

Location:  Fayetteville, NC
Program Title:  Laying the Foundation: Empowering Faculty to Enhance Student Global Competencies at HBCUs
Destinations: Jamaica
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Public Health

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Location:  Jacksonville, FL
Program Title:  Nurses Study & Explore Abroad (SEA)
Destinations: United Kingdom
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Public Health

Goshen College

Location:  Goshen, IN
Program Title:  Building Capacity for Overcoming Barriers to Inclusive Study Abroad
Destinations: Ecuador, India, Senegal
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights;
Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Public Health; Energy and Natural Resources

Green River College

Location:  Auburn, WA
Program Title:  Global Exchange Academy
Destinations: Taiwan, Netherlands
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights; Energy and Natural Resources; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Public Health

Juniata College

Location:  Huntingdon, PA
Program Title:  Athletes Abroad: Scoring more students abroad through coach cultural cultivation
Destinations:  Chile, Czech Republic, Iceland, Mexico
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Civil Society, Journalism, and Education; Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Energy and Natural Resources

Loyola University New Orleans

Location:  New Orleans, LA
Program Title:  Power in Movement: Social Justice Activism in and Between New Orleans and Mexico City
Destinations: Mexico
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

New Jersey City University

Location: Jersey City, NJ
Program Title: Social work, Refugees & Immigrants in the Global City
Destination: Greece
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Countering Disinformation; Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Public Health

North Central College

Location: Naperville, IL
Program Title: Internationalizing the Curriculum: Education Abroad Integration for Teachers and Engineers
Destination: Greece, Ireland
Foreign Policy Goals(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Northern Virginia Community College

Location: Annandale, VA
Program Title: Countering Disinformation Through Study Abroad and Community Engagement
Destination: United Kingdom
Foreign Policy Goals Addressed: Countering Disinformation; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Prairie View A&M University

Location: Prairie View, TX
Program Title: Agri-Business in the Bahamas: A Study Abroad Pathway
Destination: Brazil, The Bahamas
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed:
Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Energy and Natural Resources

Rutgers University – Newark

Location: Newark, NJ
Program Title: Mediterranean Displacements: Refugees, Exile, and Migration from Antiquity to the Present
Destination: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Tunisia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

Salem State University

Location: Salem, MA
Program Title: Building Capacity through Outreach, COIL, and Global Health Experiences
Destination: Costa Rica
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Public Health

Savannah State University

Location: Savannah, GA
Program Title: STEAM Power: Course Creation Integrating Study Abroad and Experiential Learning at an HBCU
Destination: Aruba, Guyana, Peru
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Countering Disinformation; Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

The Ohio State University

Location: Columbus, OH
Program Title: Fisher DEI Global Scholars Program
Destination: Dominican Republic
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

University of Arizona

Location: Tucson, AZ
Program Title: Navigating Education in Borderlands Program
Destination: Mexico
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Location: Champaign, IL
Program Title: Sophomore Year of Purpose: Development of Gies Global Hubs
Destination: Ghana, Greece, Ecuador, China
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights;
Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Energy and Natural Resources; Public Health

University of Utah

Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Program Title: Breaking Down Barriers for Underrepresented Students to Study Abroad: First-Year Experience and Building Professional Skills for Advisors
Destination: South Korea
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

Location: Milwaukee, WI
Program Title: Black Lives Matter: A Global Comparative Study
Destination: United Kingdom
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights

Western Kentucky University

Location: Bowling Green, KY
Program Title: Counties to Countries: Building Study Abroad Capacity for Rural Americans
Destination: United States
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed:
Economic Development and Entrepreneurship; Energy and Natural Resources

2020 Grant Competition Finalists

The following 24 U.S. higher education institutions, from 18 U.S. states plus Puerto Rico, were awarded FY19 funds to create, expand, and/or diversify study abroad on their campuses. The grant period was August 1, 2020 through September 30, 2023.

Baldwin Wallace University

Location:  Berea, OH
Program Title:  Diversifying Study Abroad through Technology and Public Health in Guatemala
Destination: Guatemala
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Cyber Issues; Public Health

College of DuPage

Location:  Glen Ellyn, IL
Program Title:  College of DuPage Africa Initiative
Destination: Kenya
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed:  Infrastructure; Natural Resources/Sustainable Agriculture

Colorado Mountain College

Location:  Glenwood Springs, CO
Program Title: Creation of a New Study Abroad Experience in Chile – Pucon Kayak Retreat Cooperative Leadership and Management Program
Destination: Chile
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed:  Closing the Skills Gap; Energy and Natural Resources; Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Community College of Baltimore County

Location: Baltimore, MD
Program Title: Expanding Study Abroad for Underrepresented Students in a Maryland Community College Consortium
Destinations: Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Public Health

Georgia State University

Location:  Atlanta, GA
Program Title: Increasing African American Male Participation in Study Abroad  
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Closing the Skills Gap

Kennesaw State University

Location:  Kennesaw, GA
Program Title:  Ghana: Gateway to Africa
Destination: Ghana
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Trade Policy

Lincoln University

Location:  Lincoln, PA
Program Title:  Global Opportunities to Advance the Lincoln Legacy
Destination: Ghana

Massasoit Community College

Location:  Brockton, MA     
Program Title:  Study Abroad at Massasoit
Destinations: Costa Rica, Morocco, Portugal

Mississippi Valley State University

Location:  Itta Bena, MS
Program Title: Expanding Horizons: Building Study Abroad Capacity at a Small, Southern, Rural Institution

Montana State University, Billings

Location: Billings, MT
Program Title: General Education Model for Study Abroad
Destinations: Belize, Italy, North Macedonia, Peru
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Democracy and Human Rights; Energy and Natural Resources; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management; Public Health; Women’s Empowerment

New Mexico State University

Location:  Las Cruces, NM
Program Title: Expanding Study Abroad Engagement Through Academic Advising Collaboration

Northern Arizona University

Location:  Flagstaff, AZ
Program Title:  Community Development Experiences in Malawi  
Destination: Malawi
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Infrastructure; Women’s Empowerment

Oakland Community College

Location: Oakland County, MI
Program Title: Delivering Globally focused Education through Virtual Exchange and Study Abroad Partnerships
Destination: Ireland, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom

Sinclair Community College

Location:  Dayton, OH
Program Title:  Sinclair Public Health IDEAS
Destination: Belize, Ireland
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Public Health

Texas Woman’s University

Location: Denton, TX
Program Title:  Global Bilingual Community Healthcare Initiative at TWU
Destination: Guatemala
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Public Health

Towson University

Location:  Towson, MD
Program Title:  Towson University Tigers Abroad
Destination: Brazil
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Closing the Skills Gap; Cyber Issues; Democracy and Human Rights; Economic Development and Trade Policy; Energy and Natural Resources; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Infrastructure; Public Health

University of Tennessee at Martin

Location: Martin, TN
Program Title:  Rural America in Siena, Italy: Growing UTM Study Abroad
Destination: Italy
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Trade Policy; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón

Location: San Juan, PR
Program Title: Diversifying U.S. Study Abroad by Increasing Access for Hispanic Students
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Entrepreneurship and Innovation

University of Alabama, Birmingham

Location: Birmingham, AL
Program Title:  World Blazers: Equipping Faculty, Supporting Students, and Expanding Access
Destinations: Japan, Kenya, Spain, United Kingdom
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Cyber Issues; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Democracy and Human Rights; Public Health

University of Florida

Location: Gainesville, FL
Program Title:  U.S.-Korea Global Design Thinking Alliance for Community College Students
Destination: South Korea
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Closing the Skills Gap

University of Houston, Clear Lake

Location:  Houston, TX
Program Title: Food Security in Contemporary Oman: Small Scale Local Producers, the Global Food Industry, and Evolving National Consumption Habits
Destination: Oman
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Food Security

University of Wisconsin, Stout

Location:  Menomonie, WI
Program Title:  Advancing Diversity & Inclusion through Heritage-Based Faculty-Led Programs
Destinations: Costa Rica, Thailand
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Entrepreneurship

Utica University

Location:  Utica, NY
Program Title: Inter-Professional Education in Healthcare Abroad
Destinations: Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Public Health

Worcester State University

Location:  Worcester, MA
Program Title:  Experiential Learning Abroad for Worcester’s Working Adult: Faculty-Led Programming in Professional & STEM Fields
Destinations: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Mexico, Thailand
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed:  Human Rights; Infrastructure; Public Health

2019 Grant Competition Finalists

The following 22 U.S. higher education institutions, from 19 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, were awarded FY18 funds to create, expand, and/or diversify study abroad on their campuses. The impact of their grant activities can be found here. The grant period was July 1, 2019 through August 31, 2022.

Alaska Pacific University

Location: Anchorage, AK
Program Title:  Study Abroad in the Circumpolar North
Destinations: Iceland, Norway, Denmark
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management; Infrastructure; Public Health

Augustana University

Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Destination: Kenya
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management

Central Piedmont Community College

Location: Charlotte, NC
Program Title:  South Africa 2020: Transformative Learning through Community Engagement
Destination: South Africa
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Public Health

Chippewa Valley Technical College

Location: Eau Claire, WI
Program Title: Experiencing Postsecondary Learning Overseas through Relevant Education (EXPLORE)
Destination: Belize
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Closing the Skills Gap

Dillard University  

Location: New Orleans, LA

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Location: Teaneck, NJ
Program Title:  Diversifying Study Abroad by Increasing the Participation of STEM Majors
Destinations: Austria, Grenada
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Cyber Issues; Energy and Natural Resources; Infrastructure; Public Health

Frederick Community College

Location: Frederick, MD
Program Title: Building Institutional Capacity for Diverse International Trips
Destinations: Ghana
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Cyber Issues; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Public Health

Gallaudet University

Location: Washington, DC
Program Title: 
An Interactive Guide to Accessible Education Abroad for Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing College Students
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Closing the Skills Gap

Johnson County Community College

Location: Overland Park, KS
Program Title: Expanding Study Abroad Opportunities for Science and Career/Tech Ed Students Focusing on Global Sustainability
Destinations: Canada, Costa Rica, Martinique, and Morocco
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Energy and Natural Resources; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management

Mississippi State University

Location: Starkville, MS
Program Title: Establishing a Study Abroad Coordinator Position within The Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine to Bridge International Research Faculty and Teaching Faculty for Study-Abroad Development and Sustainability
Destinations: Guatemala, Kenya
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Closing the Skills Gap; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management; Women’s Empowerment

Northeastern Illinois University

Location: Chicago, IL
Program Title:  Expanding Institutional Capacity to Deliver More Study Abroad Options to Non-Traditional Students

Northwestern Connecticut Community College

Location: Winsted, CT
Destination: France, Spain

Pacific University

Location: Forest Grove, OR
Program Title: The Global Scholars Program
Destination: Italy
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Public Health; Women’s Empowerment

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Location: Mahwah, NJ
Program Title: Global Field Experiences
Destinations:  Argentina, Costa Rica, Ghana, Greece, India, Iceland
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Energy and Natural Resources; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management; Public Health; Women’s Empowerment

Sul Ross State University

Location: Alpine, TX
Program Title: Lobos sin Fronteras
Destination: Mexico

Temple College

Location: Temple, TX
Program Title: Guatemala Spanish Study Abroad
Destination: Guatemala

The Carolina Cluster (Benedict College, Claflin University, and Voorhees College)

Location: Columbia, Orangeburg, and Denmark, SC
Program Title: The Carolina Cluster’s Cultural and Career Pathways International Study Initiative
Destination: Liberia
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Closing the Skills Gap

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Location: Knoxville, TN
Program Title: Feed the 9.7 Billion: Preparing US Students to Meet the Greatest Global Challenge
Destination: Argentina
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Economic Development and Trade Policy; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management

Trustees of Indiana University

Location: Bloomington, IN
Program Title: Expanding a Study Abroad Program to Africa for Rural Indiana Students to experience different cultures and learn about Public Health Issues in Africa
Destination: Ghana
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: Public Health

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Program Title: Study Abroad Academic Advisors Fellows (SAAF) Program
Destination: South Africa
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed:  Democracy and Human Rights; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management

University of Arkansas

Location: Fayetteville, AR
Program Title: Global Changemakers: Approaching Social Innovation at Home and Abroad
Destinations: Denmark, Italy, Spain
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed:  Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management

University of Georgia

Location: Athens, GA
Program Title:  Georgia Global Pathway Program
Foreign Policy Goal(s) Addressed: 
Energy and Natural Resources; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Food Security/Sustainable Agriculture/Natural Resource Management

2017 Grant Competition Finalists

The following 11 U.S. higher education institutions, from 10 U.S. states, were awarded FY16 funds to create, expand, and/or diversify study abroad on their campuses.

Dominican University

Location: River Forest, IL
Destination: Chile
Program Title: Creating a U.S. – Latin America Bridge Program to Benefit Undergraduate Business Majors at Dominican University

Glenville State College

Location: Glenville, WV
Destination: Italy, Japan, Panama, Peru
Program Title: Glenville State College Study Abroad

James Madison University

Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Destination: Tanzania
Program Title: Tanzania Field School: Place-Based Learning for Portable Skills

Montclair State University

Location: Montclair, NJ
Destination: Chile
Program Title: Devised Theatre Project of the Americas: U.S. and Chile

Morehouse College

Location: Atlanta, GA
Destination: Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Ghana
Program Title: Morehouse Pan African Global Experience II: Education and Public Health in the Diaspora

North Carolina State University

Location: Raleigh, NC
Destination: Dominican Republic
Program Title: Capacity Building to Support Internship and Experiential Learning for the Underrepresented Minority Students in Agriculture between the Dominican Republic and North Carolina State University

University of Michigan

Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Destination: India, Thailand
Program Title: Capacity Building Grants for University of Michigan

Santa Fe College

Location: Gainesville, FL
Destination: Brazil
Program Title: Santa Fe College – Biotechnology Internship in Brazil

University of California, Davis

Location: Davis, CA
Destination: Nepal
Program Title: UC Davis Capacity Building and Road-Mapping for Undergraduate Action Research and Seminars Abroad

University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Location: Lincoln, NE
Destination: Jordan
Program Title: Computer Science Across Cultures: Collaborative Algorithm Problem Solving

Winston-Salem State University

Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Destination: Cuba
Program Title: Afro-Cuban Students in a New Era

2016 Grant Competition Finalists

The following 18 U.S. higher education institutions, from 11 U.S. states, were awarded FY15 funds to create, expand, and/or diversify study abroad on their campuses.

Davidson County Community College

Location: Thomasville, NC
Destination: Guatemala
Program Title: Building Capacity at Davidson County Community College: Study Abroad in Guatemala

Highline College

Location: Des Moines, WA
Destination: China
Program Title: Expanding Capacity and Creating Study Abroad Opportunities for Underrepresented Students: A Community College Approach

Iowa State University

Location: Ames, IA
Destination: China
Program Title: Self-Sustainable Study Abroad Program for U.S. Engineering Students

Jackson State University

Location: Jackson, MS
Destination: Argentina, Botswana, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand
Project Title: Jackson State University Passport to the World

Lincoln University of Pennsylvania

Location: Lincoln, PA
Project Title: Broadening Study Abroad Participation in STEM Fields

Middlesex Community College

Location: Bedford, MA
Destination: Morocco
Project Title: The Morocco Experience: International Business Fellowship

Murray State University

Location: Murray, KY
Destination: England, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden
Program Title: Education Abroad Fellows

Northwest Wisconsin Technical College

Location: Green Bay, WI
Destination: Belize, China, Ireland, Spain
Project Title: NWTC Study Abroad Capacity Building Program

Pitzer College

Location: Claremont, CA
Destination: Brazil, Vietnam
Project Title: The Global/Local Portuguese and Vietnamese Project and the Integrative, Community-Engaged Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) Learning Program

Purdue University

Location: West Lafayette, IN
Destinations: China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
Project Title: Diversifying and Scaling Purdue Engineering Study Abroad in East Asia

Shepard University

Location: Shepardstown, WV
Destination: Cuba, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Scotland
Project Title: From Bare-Bones to Best Practices

St. Louis College of Pharmacy

Location: St. Louis, MO
Destination: Cuba, China, Finland, India, Mexico, Scotland
Project Title: Proposal to Increase Pharmacy Student Involvement in Study Abroad Programs

State University of New York as Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill)

Location: Cobleskill, NY
Destination: Mexico
Project Title: Collaborative Online International Learning and Study Abroad Graphic Design (and Agricultural Business) in Mexico

University of North Texas

Location: Denton, TX
Destination: China, Italy, Ireland
Project Title: Eagles Abroad: A Flight Path for Expanding Study Abroad Access

University of Pittsburgh

Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Destination: Ching, Cuba, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Netherlands
Project Title: Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) International Field Placement Program

Virginia Polytechnic and State University

Location: Blacksburg, VA
Destination: Botswana, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania
Project Title: The Study Abroad Expansion Project

Windward Community College

Location: Honolulu, HI
Destination: New Zealand, United Kingdom
Project Title: Foothold Abroad Initiative

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Location: Worcester, MA
Destination: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama
Project Title: Expanding Opportunities for Project-Based Learning in Latin America

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