20th Anniversary Slide Show Video of the National Security Education Program

During my research for my dissertation this evening I came across the following video celebrating the National Security Education Program with a special focus on the service requirement.  This was an excellent find for me as this fits perfectly with my research so I thought I would embed below.  The National Security Education Program is perhaps my favorite scholarship (and even over the Fulbright U.S. Student Program) and I'm happy to see it reach 20 years!

David Mize Undergraduate Scholarship Program through AMIDEAST

I recently learned about a great scholarship called the David Mize Undergraduate Scholarship Program for Egyptian students to study and obtain a degree in the United States that is offered by the AMIDEAST Egyptian Office and I want to share more information here on IHEC Blog to help promote this opportunity!

The following snippet is from the AMIDEAST website provides more description of this scholarship:

"The David Mize Scholarship program supports undergraduate students for four years of study at top U.S. universities. The value of the award is up to $50,000 US Dollars per year and requires that awardees secure additional outside support. This merit-based scholarship seeks well-rounded students with excellent grades, test strong cores, robust extracurricular activities and demonstrated leadership qualities. The scholarship is named after David Mize, former AMIDEAST/Egypt Country Director, in recognition of his leadership in the field of international education."

You can learn more specifics as well as direct students to apply here.

Please help spread the word about this great scholarship by putting it on the radar of your Admissions Office and/or Recruitment Office so they can promote it during their interactions with prospective undergraduate students from Egypt.  Additionally you can make the information about this scholarship available on your website(s) so that propsective undergraduate students from Egypt can learn more about this opportunity.  This is a substantial financial award to help a young person to come study and pursue a degree in the United States.

I have admired the work of AMIDEAST for a very long time when I read one of their old Advising Quarterly publications [of which I have many hard copies and PDF copies (a couple dating back to 1989) in my Bury Book International Education Library & Archive].  Additionally, I download their annual report each year to add to my Bury Book Library as well.  AMIDEAST is not just a leading organization in the Middle East; it is one of the leading and oldest organizations in the field of international education.  In fact, the year 2011 makes the 60th anniversary of AMIDEAST and if you are interested in the history of AMIDEAST you can learn much more at http://forms.amideast.org/flash/60th/60th.htm.

French Fries, French Dressing, French Bread and to drink, Peru

Just thought I would share this short clip from the 1985 movie "Better Off Dead" when the American mother prepares a meal for the French exchange student [young girl in the scene] who moved in next door.  This clip ties into my April 2009 IHEC Blog post "Portrayal of Exchange Students in Movies and on TV in the U.S."  Thanks to my good friend Katie for reminding me about this scene in the movie.

The Study Abroad Fund for my Children

I already started a study abroad fund for my 10 year old daughter and my 6 and 3 year old sons. The pot is small but it needed to be started. I think I actually need a fund for high school exchange programs and a fund for international experiences at the the college level.

To be sure, I'll be putting the various study abroad scholarships on their radar!

Previously posted to IHEC Blog's Face Book page on August 25, 2011

Focus on International Education in Wisconsin

I was born an raised in Wisconsin (Milwaukee area) and I was very happy to find this video with interview snippets from educational professionals (primarily K-12 educators) from across the State of Wisconsin talking about the importance of international education.  Just some home state pride that I wanted to share.

Are U.S. Students who Study in Non-Western Countries More Serious Students?

I posted the following to IHEC Blog’s Facebook page a short time ago and thought I would post here to see what readers think.

I recently read an article that suggested that  U.S. students who study abroad in the Middle East or in Asia or in Africa or in Latin America are more serious students than those who study in Europe or Australia.  I think the point they were making is that many U.S. students who go to Europe and Australia are there to party while those students who select non-Western locations are more focused on the educational experience/opportunities.

What are your thoughts on this?  I think there is a bit of truth to this statement as I was an exchange student in Germany twice during high school (a month long program through my high school both times) and I "studied" abroad in Spain for a semester during my undergraduate studies.