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. As the field continues to adapt and evolve in response to the global pandemic, the IDEAS Program is committed to offering initiatives and activities that address the most pressing needs of our country’s varied 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 the Past Initiatives section below and in our Library of Resources.

Upcoming IDEAS Webinar Series

The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS Program is pleased to announce “Expanding U.S. Study Abroad Destinations: Connecting American Students with the World.” This year-long series of webinars will provide practical advice and resources from a range of higher education and State Department experts on how to safely pursue new academic partnerships and U.S. study abroad programs in destinations around the world, including those which are less common. As U.S. student mobility continues to resume, it is important to ensure that U.S. students can learn global skills, build relationships, and share U.S. values in countries throughout all world regions in support of our U.S. foreign policy goals.

The series will mark the launch of a Higher Education Partnerships toolkit and include the following:

• International Higher Education Partnerships 101 – March 25, 2024 (Recording)
• Managing Risk and Prioritizing Safety When Expanding to New Destinations – April 25, 2024 (Recording)
• Developing Partners and Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa – August 14, 2024 (Recording)
• Strengthening Academic Partnerships in South and Central Asia – January 15, 2025 (Recording)
• Additional region-specific seminars on exploring and establishing U.S. study abroad programs around the world – three subsequent webinars to be announced throughout 2025

Webinar materials will be posted in the IDEAS Library of Resources and shared with all registrants. All sessions will include live ASL interpretation and be closed-captioned, recorded, and ADA-compliant. For more information, please email the IDEAS Program at [email protected]. To receive regular updates about the IDEAS grant competition and other capacity building initiatives, join our email list. 

IDEAS current grantees and alumni – look for exclusive virtual training opportunities, as well as an in-person event, on these topics in 2025!

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IDEAS Workshops

Upcoming 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. See below for more information on workshop topics and registration details.

The College of Staten Island will host a day-long workshop in the Train-the-Trainer style, giving participants the opportunity to develop their own skillsets to guide faculty through the process of developing and implementing short-term faculty-led programming abroad. Participants will leave the workshop with the tools and the skillset to assist faculty in new program development on their campuses. A full agenda will be available in spring 2025, when registration opens.  

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Past Initiatives

See below to explore past IDEAS Initiatives and recordings. Check out the Library of Resources for resources from these events and more.

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