#IstandwithCEU

Please visit https://www.ceu.edu/category/istandwithceu to show your support 

for Central European University in Hungary!

The Fund for Education Abroad Doubles Commitment to Increasing Access to Study Abroad with 51 Scholarships Totaling $225,000

WASHINGTON, DC, March 30, 2017 – The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) has increased access to international education by granting a record-breaking 51 scholarships totaling $225,000 to US students consistently underrepresented in study abroad. These figures represent a doubling of the number of scholarships and a $75,000 (50%) increase over funds granted last year.

The students come from a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and represent higher education institutions across the country. Students will be studying across the globe, from a minimum of four weeks to a full academic year. FEA funds scholarships of up to $10,000 for study abroad.

With this year’s scholars, a total of 168 students, including minority, LGBTQI, first-generation, community college, and students studying in non-traditional destinations have benefited from over $700,000 in scholarships granted since FEA’s inception in 2010. This year, 90% of the students are of minority backgrounds, and a large majority of scholars (84%) are first-generation college students. Almost all (96%) awardees will study the host country language. Additionally, 46% of all the FEA scholars have a community college background.

“Investing in international education is investing in our nation’s future,” said Adam Cooper, Senior Vice President of the US division of STA Travel, which funds a dedicated scholarship for FEA. “Students who travel abroad have formative experiences that influence the course of their lives.” The STA Travel Start the Adventure scholarship provides for individual students and gives discretionary, capacity-building grants to international education departments to strategically fund another student.

“We are tremendously grateful for the continued and ever-increasing support of FEA donors. Their generosity has helped us augment our giving each year, making the life-enhancing dream of study abroad come true for more students,” said FEA Executive Director Jennifer Calvert. “FEA scholars and all students who study abroad grow to be some of our nation’s best public diplomats.”

The 2017 FEA scholarship winners were selected from a pool of nearly 1,500 applicants representing approximately 440 colleges and universities across the country. A team of 102 volunteer reviewers individually read and reviewed each application.

The 2017 Fund for Education Abroad Scholars include:

Mirza Ahmed (SUNY – New Paltz)
Germany, Academic Year 2017-18

Astra Armstrong (Norfolk State University)
South Africa, Summer 2017

Valerie Avellino (CUNY -Hunter College)
Latvia, Summer 2017

Leonard Ayala (University of Texas – Dallas)
Mexico, Summer 2017

Nannette Boakye (Columbia University)
Tanzania, Summer 2017
*STA Travel Start the Adventure Scholar

Valencia Briseus (University of South Florida)
Japan, Fall 2017
*Rainbow Scholar

Andrew Castellanos (University of Montana)
Russia, Summer 2017
*STA Travel Start the Adventure Scholar

Colter Christensen (Utah State University)
Japan, Academic Year 2017-18
Amy Co (Ohio University)
India (AIFS), Fall 2017

Sean Coffman (University of Washington, Bothell)
Jordan, Spring 2018

Sacharja Cunningham (Hamilton College)
Senegal(SIT) & Ghana (CIEE), Academic Year 2017-18

Robert Davis (Kalamazoo College)
Italy, Fall 2017

Emmylou de Meij (Lawrence University)
Russia, Fall 2017

Jacquelyn DeLauder (Columbus State University)
Mexico, Summer 2017

Ugochinyerem Krystal Ejesieme (University of Virginia)
France (CEA), Summer 2017
*Student Athlete Scholar

Matthew Falsetta (Temple University)
Spain, Spring 2018

Gabriela Fuentes (Georgetown University)
Ecuador, Summer 2017
*DC Area Scholar

Anthony Galura (University of California – Berkeley)
Singapore, Summer 2017
*Rainbow Scholar

Selaem Hadera (Emory University)
India (SIT), Fall 2017

Areli Hernandez (Santa Clara University)
Ecuador, Fall 2017

Diana Inguito (Pepperdine University)
Argentina, Fall 2017
*Jane Gluckmann & Carol Rausch Go Global Scholar

Kurtis Klein (San Diego State University)
Germany, Academic Year 2017-18

Vivien Le (California State University, Los Angeles)
Thailand (CIEE), Summer 2017

Tierra Lu (Middlebury College)
South Korea, Academic Year 2017-18
*BASAA Scholar

Colton Lynn (University of North Texas)
Spain, Summer 2017

Francis Miyata (Knox College)
Japan, Academic Year 2017-18

Yahaira Morales Castro (University of Texas – Austin)
Mexico, Summer 2017

Yuliena Mosquera (Florida International University)
Japan, Summer 2017

Kevin Ngo (Portland State University)
Japan (IE3 Global), Academic Year 2017-18
*PDX Abroad Scholar

Cindy Nguyen (California State University – Los Angeles)
Thailand (CIEE), Summer 2017

Dieu Thao Nguyen (University of Georgia)
Vietnam, Summer 2017
*Hiliary Echo Douglas Memorial Scholar

Ivan Olivas (Eastern Kentucky University)
Argentina (SOL Education Abroad), Summer 2017

Olivia Orosco (Willamette University)
Bolivia, Morocco and Vietnam (SIT), Fall 2017
*Student Athlete Scholar

Chance Overberg (Miami University)
Japan (CIEE and ISEP), Academic Year 2017-18

Timothy Paczynski (Gustavus Adolphus College)
Hungary, Academic Year 2017-18
*Minnesota Scholar

Kevin Pham (Vassar College)
Jordan, Summer 2017
*Rainbow Scholar

Ivan Pineda (University of South Florida)
China, Summer 2017

Tiffany Richards (Portland State University)
Japan, Fall 2017
*PDX Abroad Scholar

Christopher Robinson (Harvard University)
Chile (Sage Corps), Summer 2017

Paisley Sato (University of Puget Sound)
Mongolia, South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, India and Malaysia, Academic Year 2017-18

Immaniah Shlemah (Trident Technical College)
Ghana (CIEE), Fall 2017

Temperance Talley (California State University – Fresno)
Japan (University Studies Abroad Consortium), Academic Year 2017-18

Tan Vu (University of California – Berkeley)
Hong Kong, Academic Year 2017-18

Vanessa Watson (Fashion Institute of Technology)
Hong Kong, Spring 2018
*Rainbow Scholar

Lauren Workman (Hobart & William Smith Colleges)
Vietnam, Spring 2018

Zhaoyi Yan (CUNY-Hunter College)
South Korea, Summer 2017

Chi-Yen Yao (University of Maryland)
United Kingdom, Academic Year 2017-18
*DC Area Scholar

Rose Yeh (University of Texas – Austin)
Chile (IES Abroad), Summer 2017

Jae Yu (University of California – Santa Barbara)
Thailand, Academic Year 2017-18

Kazandra Zelaya (Claremont McKenna College)
Argentina (Sage Corps), Summer 2017

Bemnet Zewdie (Boston College)
Ghana (CIEE), Spring 2018
*BASAA Scholar

FEA offers general and dedicated scholarships. Dedicated scholarships include numerous regional scholarships, the Hiliary Echo Douglas Memorial scholarship, which is dedicated to those who wish to travel to Vietnam, the Jane Gluckmann & Carol Rausch Go Global scholarship, for students studying abroad in Mexico, Central America, South America, France, or Germany, and a Rainbow scholarship for students nationwide who self-identify as LGBTQI.

The mission of the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) is to increase opportunities for dedicated American students to participate in high-quality, rigorous education abroad programs by reducing financial restrictions through the provision of grants and scholarships. FEA aims to make the demographics of U.S. undergraduates studying abroad reflect the rich diversity of the U.S. population. FEA won the 2015 Diversity Abroad Excellence in Diversifying International Education Award and GoAbroad.com’s 2015 Innovation in Philanthropy Award.

About the Fund for Education Abroad

The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to increase the opportunities for dedicated U.S. students to participate in high-quality, rigorous education abroad programs by reducing financial restrictions through the provision of grants and scholarships. FEA’s goals include assisting committed students in the acquisition of critical foreign language skills and cultivating U.S. students’ world awareness and appreciation of cultural differences through academic and experiential opportunities. Scholarships are awarded with a preference for under-represented students in study abroad programs, including minorities, first-generation college students, community college students and those choosing to study in non-traditional countries. FEA is a Guidestar Gold participant, and  won the 2015 Diversity Abroad Excellence in Diversifying International Education Award and GoAbroad.com’s 2015 Innovation in Philanthropy Award.  Follow FEA at www.fundforeducationabroad.org, and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr and on Twitter: @FEAScholarships.

Help GoAbroad.com Reach 100,000 Facebook Fans

I'm a huge fan of GoAbroad.com for so many reasons!  This is just a quick post to encourage you (request) to like the GoAbroad.com Facebook page as they try to reach 100,000 fans.

Take 2 seconds to go to their page to like it and then stay and scroll through their content!

facebook.com/GoAbroadCom/

Follow the Twitter Backchannel from the 2017 Forum on Education Abroad Conference - March 29-31st in Seattle, Washington #ForumEA17

#ForumEA17 Tweets

Follow the Twitter Backchannel from the 2017 International Education and Training (IET) Summit from Queensland, Australia March 28, 2017 #IETSummit2017

#IETsummit2017 Tweets

Impact of International Affairs Budget on the 50 U.S. States Includes Study Abroad, International Student Economic Impact and Peace Corps Data

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) has a great website with a list of the 50 U.S. states and by clicking on a state you can see what USGLC activities are taking place, find out the impact of the International Affairs Budget on a community and to learn how you can get involved. Both IIE Open Doors mentioning number of students studying abroad and economic impact of international students as well as Peace Corps data cited!

USGLC website available at http://bit.ly/2ne9c6W

Follow the Twitter Backchannel from APAIE 2017 Conference March 20-23 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan #APAIE2017

APAIE stands for the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education

#APAIE2017 Tweets

The U.S. Bans Certain Electronic Devices Including Laptops, Tablets, Video Game Consoles and Cameras on Foreign Airlines from Eight Predominately Muslim Countries

How will this new policy impact students, scholars and faculty who are currently abroad for academic purposes who no doubt have such electronic devices with them and are scheduled to return to the U.S. on foreign carriers departing from the eight countries?

While this ban permits all banned electronic devices to be packed and transported in checked luggage on foreign flagged flights to the U.S. from these eight countries most people will not do so due to the risk of theft or damage.  A friend of mine who travels the globe extensively for work [non-international educator] just landed in Nairobi (with RT stopovers in Dubai) and just posted to Facebook wondering what to do with his laptop and iPad as he will return to the U.S. (O'Hare) on Emirates Airlines via Dubai.  His initial thought is to donate his laptop somewhere in Kenya...

Via the BBC, the nine airlines impacted are:  Royal Jordanian, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways.

Map and list of affected airports is via the BBC at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39333424

What are your thoughts?


Additional articles related to this new ban:

U.S. Restricts Electronic Devices On Flights From 8 Muslim Countries [NPR]

U.S. Limits Devices for Passengers on Foreign Airlines From Eight Countries [New York Times]

Airline electronics ban: What you need to know [CNN Money]

Electronics ban on flights to US is indefinite, applies to 8 Muslim-majority nations [Fox News]

Experts criticize US electronic devices ban on some flights from Middle East [The Guardian]

US bans laptops, iPads in carry-on bags from airports in 8 Islamic countries due to bomb fears [CNBC]

Follow the Twitter Backchannel from the Diversity Abroad Conference, March 19-22, 2017 in Minneapolis, MN #DAC17

#DAC17 Tweets

"America First-A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again" and Proposed Cuts to the State Department

Proposed budget cuts to State Department and USAID are outlined on pages 33-34
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/2018_blueprint.pdf

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is my Senator and he is an Ardent Supporter of International Educational and Cultural Exchanges

The list of citations demonstrating Senator Dick Durbin's support for international educational and cultural exchanges are too numerous to mention here in this brief IHEC Blog post but they date back to before his service on the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program!

Examples of his support follow in the partial screen shots of two of his recent press releases:

Full 3-9-17 Press Release available at 

https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-wicker-introduce-legislation-to-promote-study-abroad-2017

Full 3-14-17 Press Release available at 

https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-rubio-reintroduce-legislation-to-promote-education-abroad

Will We See the Elimination of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State?

According to Carol Morello of the Washington Post it appears that an early draft of President Trump's budget proposed the elimination of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State. Even if ECA is not eliminated they should expect significant budget cuts!

You can read screen shots of the paragraphs in the article pertaining to ECA below and the full article at http://wapo.st/2mSLUD6

You can read "America First-A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again" by White House OMB, 03-16-2017 at http://bit.ly/2nvW0II

Alliance for International Exchange press release, 3-16-17

"Alliance Opposes Unprecedented Proposed Cuts to State Department" available at http://bit.ly/2mwGLNX

Temple University Launches #YouAreWelcomeHere back in November 2016

You can read more about this Temple University initiative here.

"You Are Welcome Here" video by the Office for International Students and Scholars, Michigan State University #YouAreWelcomeHere

Follow the Twitter Backchannel from the 2017 IIE Best Practices Conference, March 13-14, 2017 at Florida Interantional University #IIEConference2017

#IIEConference2017 Tweets

Follow the Twitter Backchannel from the 2017 NAFSA Advocacy Day #nafsaAD

Many thanks to all of our colleagues who have made their way to Washington, DC to advocate on behalf of international education.  Hoping you have very productive meetings!

#nafsaAD Tweets

CBS This Morning [U.S. News Program] highlights Chinese students at the University of Dayton who announce the basketball games in Mandarin back to China

. 

You can access the video [5:19] at http://bit.ly/2me5zuJ

A Big Citation of a Recent IHEC Blog Post

My IHEC Blog post entitled “Running List of University/College and Higher Education Organization/Association Responses to President Trump's Executive Order Entitled "Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Entry into the United States by Foreign Nationals Issued January 27, 2017” was cited in the:

Brief of the Association of American Universities as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioners’ Requested Relieve in the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York in case of Hameed Khalid Darweesh, et al., Petitioners and People of the State of New York, by Eric T. Schneiderman, Attorney General of the State of New York, Intervenor-Plaintiff, v. Donald Trump, President of the United States, et al., Respondents [Filed 2-16-17]

Hameed Khalid Darweesh was an Iraqi translator for U.S. forces who entered the U.S. on a valid visa and was detained at JFK for ~18 hours shortly after President Trump’s first immigration executive order was issued.

The AAU Brief [which is a good read] is available at: http://bit.ly/2m4m6AB

My IHEC Blog Post is available at http://bit.ly/2k7ixtQ

1st screenshot is of the top of page 1 of the brief and the 2nd screenshot is of the footnote citation of my blog post on the bottom of page 3.

UWEC Celebrates it's Centennial - This Week The Center for International Education is Highlighted

As part of the CIE’s celebration wee, we are highlighting UWEC alumni that have gone into the field of international education. pic.twitter.com/jHYjYS86iR

— UWEC Study Abroad (@uwecstudyabroad) March 7, 2017

Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States - March 6, 2017

Full Text available via The White House at http://bit.ly/2lwSJLP

NAFSA's New Executive Director & CEO Esther Brimmer will be on Facebook Live tomorrow, March 3, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. (EST)

According to NAFSA:  

"Dr. Brimmer will outline current NAFSA initiatives and actions that the organization is taking to help international educators achieve success in their practice and for their campus. She will address state-of-day issues and answer selected questions."

Follow along at www.facebook.com/nafsa

March 1, 1961 - President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps

On October 14, 1960 at 2:00am, Senator John F. Kennedy speaks to ~10,000 students at the University of Michigan proposes the idea of the Peace Corps. You can read more about this historic speech via the Founding Moment page of the Peace Corps website.  

You can listen to Kennedy's speech below: