Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the country are being honored this week by President Obama and the U.S. Senate during the start of Hispanic Heritage Month 2014. On September 12, the White House issued a proclamation designating September 14-20 as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week. Read the proclamation. On September 16, the Senate passed a resolution to designate National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week by unanimous consent. Read the resolution. 

IIE recognizes the important work that Hispanic-Serving Institutions do to internationalize their campuses. We would also like to commend the many Hispanic-Serving Institutions that have already joined the Generation Study Abroad initiative and made significant pledges to increase study abroad participation and diversity and to help make sure that their students are graduating with the skills required to be successful in the global marketplace.  IIE will recognize these institutions and HACU at a special reception in Denver on October 5th during the HACU annual conference.

IIE announces the final call for proposals for the EducationUSA Leadership Institutes, a new initiative from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ EducationUSA Advising Network that will bring Ministry and higher education officials to the U.S. for short-term training experiences. 

Accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institutions (non-profit and for-profit), U.S. higher education associations, university systems, consortia, and qualified entities that meet provisions in IRS section 26 USC 501(c)(3) are invited to submit proposals to be a Partner Organization for the first round of EducationUSA Leadership Institutes, which will focus on three key focus areas: (1) Quality Assurance and Accreditation; (2) Industry-Private Sector Linkages & Innovation; and (3) Campus Internationalization: Institutional Structures that Provide the Capacity to Support In and Outbound Student Mobility. Applicants are invited to submit proposals focusing on one or more of these topics. 

For more information, please contact Clare Banks, Assistant Director, International Partnerships & IIE Initiatives cbanks@iie.org / 212-984-5481.

Karen MacGregor shares highlights in University World News of OECD’s Education at a Glance 2014. A central finding in the report is the growth of intra-regional student mobility. These numbers "reflect the evolution of geopolitical areas, such as closer ties between Asia-Pacific countries and further cooperation among European countries beyond the European Union," says the report.

Yojana Sharma discusses in University World News findings of a new report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The report argues that Asia has the potential to take the lead globally in the knowledge-based economic sector. Sharma discusses the report’s finding that "developing countries in Asia will need to invest more in higher education and training, innovation and information technology if the region as a whole is to surpass the economies of the West."

Universities Minister Greg Clark recently launched Go International, a website designed to assist UK higher education institutions in encouraging more students to study abroad. The website "will be a resource hub with information on studying, volunteering and working abroad as well as providing access to research and reports on the sector" and feature "information on funding and the benefits of study abroad," according to an article in The Pie News.

 

An essay in the Wall Street Journal by Dr. Henry Kissinger, a Trustee of IIE, warns that globalization can both enhance the success of a peaceful world order as well as produce countering political reactions. "A contemporary structure of international rules and norms, if it is to prove relevant, cannot merely be affirmed by joint declarations; it must be fostered as a matter of common conviction," writes Kissinger.

Following their 10-day voyage across the United States while aboard the Millennial Trains Project, five Fulbright non-U.S. Students participated in a panel discussion held the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Jennifer Connor, Social Media Fulbright Program Officer at IIE, shares highlights of their stories.

The Diplomacy and Diversity Fellowship is a collaborative, transatlantic program on international relations and global diversity. Humanity in Action invites applications from outstanding American and European graduate students and young professionals aspiring to careers in foreign policy. 

Over four weeks, the 24 fellows meet with leaders in government, business, media and academia to discuss the most pressing contemporary challenges in international relations. The program places a particular emphasis on issues of diversity and pluralism. The Council on Foreign Relations hosts and organizes multiple sessions in Washington focused on building skills, networks and knowledge for foreign policy careers. 

The Fellows are required to build upon these far-reaching policy discussions to produce research and write articles. Through this program, Humanity in Action seeks to promote constructive diplomacy in a changing world through innovative and inclusive approaches to national and international issues. 

The 2015 Diplomacy and Diversity Fellowship has extended its programming to Berlin. In addition to Washington, DC, and Paris, Berlin will provide an exceptional opportunity for the graduate student fellows to examine foreign policy and global diversity.

Princeton in Africa (PiAf) is a non-profit organization that offers yearlong post-graduate fellowship opportunities with a variety of organizations working across the African continent. PiAf Fellows work in service-oriented positions in many different fields, including humanitarian aid, social enterprise, public health, conservation, and education. Our partner organizations include Clinton Health Access Initiative, the International Rescue Committee, Plan International, the World Food Programme, and many other organizations—both large and small—doing remarkable work around the African continent. In 2014-15 PiAf has 49 Fellows working in 15 countries with 30 organizations around Africa. Since its launch in 1999, PiAf has placed nearly 400 Fellows in 35 countries across the continent. 

Graduating seniors and young alumni from any accredited U.S. college or university are eligible to apply. Please note that prior Africa experience is not a requirement. There is no single background, skill, or experience that makes someone the "perfect" fellowship applicant. For more information, visit www.princetoninafrica.org or email piafapp@princetoninafrica.org.

Launched in August 2014, proposals for the second round of Global Innovation Initiative (GII) grants are due on October 31, 2014. GII is a higher education grant competition created to strengthen higher education research partnerships between the United States, the United Kingdom and four other countries: Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia. This initiative provides exciting grant opportunities for post-secondary educational partnerships on topics of global significance in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the following four areas: energy, climate change and the environment; urban development; agriculture, food security and water; and global health. Accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institutions are invited to apply for one of approximately six grants of up to $200,000 each, and must apply together with at least one higher education partner in the UK, and one in Brazil, China, India, and/or Indonesia. For more information about the initiative and how to apply, please visit www.iie.org/GII. 

IIE will be holding two informational webinars for applicants to the U.S. competition on September 23, 2014 (2:00pm and 4:00pm EST). U.S. lead institutions and their partners are encouraged to join one of these webinars, during which applicants will have an opportunity to ask questions about the application process. To register, please visit the GII website.

For more information, please contact Morgan Clark, Program Manager, IIE Center for International Partnerships GII@iie.org.

The Laura W. Bush Traveling Fellowship will help fund a proposal designed by the applicant to conduct brief work in a foreign country related to the mandate of UNESCO—using education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and/or communication and information to build strong ties among nations. The fellowship is intended for U.S. college/university students who express an interest in international collaboration but as of yet had not been afforded many opportunities to travel abroad.

The length of time for the travel is expected to be between 4 and 6 weeks and should include interaction with individuals from other nations. During his/her travel, the recipient should be willing to participate in public diplomacy events arranged with the pertinent U.S. State Department Consulate, Mission, and/or Embassy.

Following the travel, the recipient agrees to submit a report describing experiences and analyzing objectives achieved; share his/her experiences with others; and be available to make a presentation to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO.

• Must be a U.S. Citizen eligible for foreign travel
• Must be at least 18 years old and not older than 25 at the time of application
• Must be currently enrolled in an accredited U.S. college or university in the United States

IIE-SRF named the first recipient of the Janet Hennessey Dilenschneider Scholar Rescue Award in the Arts, established in February 2014 through gifts from IIE Trustees Robert L. Dilenschneider and Mark A. Angelson to provide IIE-SRF fellowships to 10 threatened scholars of the visual, performing, or literary arts. In her most recent book of paintings, It is a beautiful world, what are we doing to protect it?, artist Janet Hennessey Dilenschneider says, "Artists have the right—and maybe the obligation, because they have the platform—to make a social/political statement about the world they live in. Many artists and art scholars put their lives in danger doing this." 

The award recipient, Dr. Jumana Ali Jaber is an established Syrian professor with a portfolio that spans architecture and interior design. She established one of Syria’s first interdisciplinary undergraduate degree programs in fine arts and has exhibited her work in Poland, the United States, and Syria. As the violence in Syria escalated, Dr. Jaber suffered harassment and intimidation due to her artwork, which critically examines traditional norms. An IIE-SRF fellowship brought her to Montclair State University, where she teaches visual art, painting, design for theater, and interior design through the university’s Departments of Art and Design and Theatre and Dance.