IDEAS Capacity Building Initiatives

The IDEAS Program offers a variety of in-person and virtual trainings for faculty and staff at U.S. colleges and universities with the goal of helping to increase their institutions’ capacity to administer study abroad programs. The IDEAS Program is committed to offering initiatives and activities that address the most pressing needs of our country’s higher education institutions and key U.S. foreign policy goals.

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IDEAS Webinars

IDEAS webinars are hosted virtually and open to study abroad stakeholders from accredited U.S. colleges and universities and other organizations who are involved with or interested in expanding study abroad for U.S. students at their institution.

Please see materials from previous webinars in our Library of Resources.

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IDEAS Workshops

IDEAS workshops are open to study abroad stakeholders from accredited U.S. colleges and universities, including but not limited to study abroad advisors, faculty, and other staff involved with or interested in broadening study abroad for U.S. students at their institution. Workshops will take place either virtually or in-person on Fridays. Registration will open one to two months before each event.

Please see materials from previous workshops in our Library of Resources.

Upcoming IDEAS Workshops

Upcoming virtual workshops will be announced in Spring 2026.

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U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative

The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS Program implemented the U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative (UCI). The UCI brought together leaders from colleges and universities in the United States and ASEAN for a series of virtual and in-person trainings, in partnership with the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA). Spanning the 2022-2023 academic year, these professional development and networking opportunities were designed to foster sustainable international academic partnerships and the two-way exchange of students, scholars, and researchers between U.S. and ASEAN higher education institutions.

Through this initiative, AIEA and the IDEAS Program created a comprehensive Higher Education Partnerships Toolkit to promote the development of research/curricular collaborations, dual/joint degrees, and the two-way exchange of students, faculty, and/or researchers in a variety of fields between the United States and ASEAN – and beyond. Download the PDF of the toolkit here.

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If you have questions about any of these IDEAS Capacity Building Initiatives, please email [email protected]