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 (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) 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)
• Additional region-specific seminars on exploring and establishing U.S. study abroad programs around the world – three subsequent webinars to be announced throughout 2024 and 2025

All registered attendees will receive copies of the webinar series materials when available. These materials will also be posted on the IDEAS website in the Library of Resources. All sessions will include live ASL interpretation and be closed-captioned, recorded, and ADA-compliant.

IDEAS current grantees and alumni – look for exclusive virtual training opportunities, as well as an in-person event, on these topics in 2024!

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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.

This day-long in-person workshop, co-hosted by the IDEAS Program and North Dakota State University (NDSU), will focus on how study abroad professionals can leverage international experiences to prepare students for the next steps in their careers. Session topics include building strategic partnerships abroad; best practices for creating internships, volunteer placements, and clinical experiences; and how to encourage independent thinking through place-based learning. NDSU faculty will also highlight their successful integration of clinical and undergraduate research experiences into study abroad for students in a variety of disciplines, a method to help prepare students for work in scientific and medical fields as well as for advanced graduate study. Through interactive activities and sessions led by topical experts and NDSU faculty, workshop participants will gain expertise in training students in hard and soft skills through study abroad for use in their future careers or graduate studies. 

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 January 2025, when registration opens.  

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IDEAS Virtual Institutes

New Capacity Building Initiative

IDEAS Virtual Institutes are long-form, cohort-based opportunities for faculty and administrators to engage with experts and each other around a common topic and develop study abroad resources for their institutions. IDEAS Virtual Institutes 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 enhancing study abroad for U.S. students at their institution.

Institutes will take place virtually over a period of four to six weeks. Registration will open one to two months before each event. See below for more information on virtual institute topics and registration details.

Objectives of the IDEAS Virtual Institutes are to:

• Provide faculty and administrators at U.S. colleges and universities with best practices and resources to address current challenges and opportunities as they work to expand and broaden the U.S. students they send abroad and the destinations where they study;
• Share USA Study Abroad information and other U.S. Department of State and U.S. Government resources; and
• Build and strengthen the U.S. study abroad community networks for future sharing of resources and best practices.

We do not currently have any virtual institutes scheduled. Please see materials from previous webinars and workshops in the Past Initiatives section below and in our Library of Resources, and check back here for institute announcements in the future.

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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]