In an effort to make the study abroad experience accessible to more college students, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) has announced it will award USD 1.2 million in grants to college students for study at one of its two new Global Institutes in London or Berlin. One hundred grants of USD 6,000 will be awarded per semester during the 2015-2016 academic year, with the first round available through CIEE on January 15 for fall 2015.

The USD 1.2 million in grant monies for students is the first allotment of CIEE’s USD 20 million scholarship pledge to Generation Study Abroad, a five-year initiative of IIE to mobilize resources and commitments with the goal of doubling the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade.

"Study abroad has never been as critical a component of education as it is in today’s globalized marketplace," said James P. Pellow, Ed.D., president and chief executive officer of CIEE. "These grants are paired with an innovative academic model that will help students overcome the barriers of cost and curriculum as they strive to develop the skills needed to compete and excel in our interconnected world."

Emil Levy, senior program manager at IIE, shares about the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, "Get in the Ring" global entrepreneurship competition held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Annually, over 2000 start-ups compete to be one of eight companies to compete in the international final, which takes place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Levy cites a World Bank report finding that entrepreneurship is the "largest single source of new job growth in both developed and developing economies."

This photo, featured in the 2001 IIE Annual Report, was taken in rural Kwazulu Natal, South Africa where Peggy C. Papathakis, M.S., R.D., completed research, supported by a Fulbright U.S. Student grant that examined the change in nutritional status of HIV infected mothers who are breast-feeding. 

View IIE’s complete archive of annual reports since 1919.

An article in the Economist takes a critical look at the monetary value of foreign language learning. By looking at the supply and demand of proficiency in different languages, the article explains why learning certain languages can provide greater returns. "Albert Saiz ... found quite different premiums for different languages: just 1.5% for Spanish, 2.3% for French and 3.8% for German," writes the Economist.

Beckie Smith shares in The PIE News highlights of a report commissioned by Campus France showing the impact of international students in France on their economy. "The report ... estimates that the 295,084 foreign students who studied in France in 2013-14 cost the state around EUR 2.84bn in tuition subsidies and EUR 55m in scholarships," writes Smith. "However, these costs are far outweighed by an estimated EUR 4.6bn in living costs, travel and tourism."

The Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars program competition deadline is January 20, 2015, and the deadline for the Summer Grants program is February 3, 2015. Please note that students still have time to apply and secure a host institution. The program website lists a number of potential host institutions abroad. There will be approximately 50 grants available to high-quality candidates for the Fellows and Scholars program and approximately 20 for the summer program.

Grant funding for projects in biomedical engineering (or bioengineering) overseas.

• Award: Monthly living stipend, round-trip international travel, accident and sickness insurance; tuition allowance, where appropriate
• Projects: High-quality BME-relevant proposals will be funded, which can include: coursework combined with research, independent research, policy research, internships, and post-doctoral work
• Fellows (Pre-Doctoral): tuition reimbursement/bench or lab fees of up to USD 10,000
• Scholars (Post-Doctoral): overall award competitive with post-doctoral fellowship salaries

For more information on all Whitaker International Program - including profiles of past grantees, host institutions, as well as the online application, visit www.whitaker.org.

The newly launched Confucius China Studies Program Joint Research Ph.D. Fellowship continues to welcome applications from eligible students interested in conducting research in China. The application deadline has been extended to Thursday, February 12, 2015 for awards beginning in the fall of 2015. The CCSP Fellowship provides generous funding for doctoral students in the Arts, Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences who are specializing in the study of China. The Fellowship is open to both U.S. citizens and international students (although citizens of China will not be eligible.) Successful applicants will be supported for a period of at least six months to up to two years as they pursue research at one of 15 designated universities in China. Recipients will receive an annual living stipend of 80,000 RMB (approximately 13,000 USD), and an annual research stipend of 20,000 RMB (approximately 3,200 USD). Sixty grants will be available in 2015. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is pleased to announce two exciting updates for the upcoming scholarship application set to open in mid-January 2015. Thank you for sharing this information with students and helping them prepare their applications!

To encourage more non-traditional students to participate in education abroad, the Gilman Program will accept applications from students enrolled at community colleges/two-year institutions who will participate in credit-bearing education abroad programs that are a minimum of 14 days in length in one country, so long as the students meet all other applicant eligibility requirements. This is a change from the four week minimum currently in place for all applicants. The 14 day minimum only applies to students enrolled at community colleges/two-year institutions.

Additionally, the Gilman Program will accept applications from students participating in education abroad programs in Mexican states where no advisory is in effect according to the U.S. Department of State Travel Warning. 

The application for summer 2015 and fall/academic year 2015-2016 programs will open in mid-January and student applications are due March 3, 2015, by 11:59pm (central).

Project Global Officer (Project GO) seeks proposals from U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), with at least one existing Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Program and demonstrated experience delivering high-quality language instruction, to develop and implement a Project GO Program. Project GO Program applications must describe in detail how the proposed Project GO Program will attract and recruit students from a variety of majors and disciplines. Proposals must also demonstrate a clear curricular program and learning pathways for either or both of the following:  

1)Creating programs that teach to the minimum Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Level 1 standard for speaking, listening, and reading. 

2)Developing programs that teach to an ILR Level 2 standard and above for speaking, listening, and reading. 

Proposals should explain how the applicant will develop opportunities for ROTC students to gain intermediate and advanced levels of proficiency during the course of their academic studies. Specifically, proposals should explain how the institution will establish the minimum base proficiency of ILR1 and support overseas study and immersive summer domestic programs for Project GO.

• January 28, 2015, 3:00–4:00 PM ET
• February 9, 2015, 3:00–4:00 PM ET

To register for the webinar or for questions regarding the solicitation, please email rotc@iie.org.

The British Council has launched the call for proposals for the third year of its Bridging Voices program. Five grants, managed by the British Council, are awarded annually to groups of institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. The grants fund the organization of two academic and policy dialogues over a period of one year – one in the United States and the other in the United Kingdom or elsewhere in Europe. Through these dialogues, Bridging Voices brings together transatlantic academics and policymakers to share their expertise on topics related to religion and international affairs. Each grant is worth up to USD 24,000. Universities, research centers, NGOs and think tanks which can demonstrate scope in and expertise with policy, governmental or religious issues are eligible to apply. Proposals are due to bridgingvoices@britishcouncil.org by March 31st at 17:00 EST. Bridging Voices is supported by the Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion & International Affairs and Friends of the British Council.

On behalf of the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), IIE is pleased to announce the 2015-16 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program’s host institution application has opened. We invite your college or university to consider becoming a new host site or continue hosting fellows who can support your language programs.

 

Benefits of Hosting an FLTA:

By hosting an FLTA, you will further the goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. At the same time, an FLTA will enhance and compliment your teaching of foreign languages in many ways. FLTAs add a youthful, up-to-date cultural component to foreign language classes as well as to student life on your campus in general. The availability of having an FLTA to host language tables, cooking sessions, and other co-curricular events offers U.S. students the possibility of working with a young native speaker in non-traditional settings. This interaction makes the studying and learning of the language much more meaningful and real.  

 

Schools wishing to host a Fulbright FLTA are free to tailor the program to meet their unique needs. FLTAs often teach beginning and intermediate classes or offer tutorial sessions to improve students’ language acquisition. On many campuses they serve as directors of language houses or language floors, offering students uncommon access to the target languages. 

You are encouraged to visit the following Fulbright FLTA Program pages before completing an application:

• About Fulbright FLTA
• Thinking of Applying
• Arrival Information
• Program Timeline

• The direct link for colleges and universities to apply for an FLTA is: app.decisiondesk.com/clients/fulbrightflta2015/apply.
• The deadline for applications to become a host institution is January 20, 2015. If you are unable to submit an application by this date, please contact fltaevents@iie.org. Depending upon the language of interest, a deadline extension may be possible.
• New users should click the ‘Don’t have an account yet? Click Here’ link to setup a login.

All Questions can be directed to Marsha Frith, Assistant Director, mfrith@iie.org or fltaevents@iie.org.

The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. For more information, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright.

The Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) seminars help international education professionals and senior higher education officials create empowering connections with the higher education systems of other countries, enabling them to enhance the international aspects of their home campus and encourage prospective study-abroad students. To learn more about this unique opportunity, including the upcoming February 2 deadline for the France and Germany programs, please visit: www.cies.org/program/fulbright-international-education-administrators-program-iea.

Are you responsible for international partnerships at your institution? If so, please take a few minutes to participate in a new survey conducted by the Institute of International Education in cooperation with Freie Universität Berlin. 

Strategic international partnerships are a relatively new but growing phenomenon in the higher education sector. This global survey seeks to assess the nature and dynamics of such transnational arrangements between higher education institutions in various countries and regions. The responses collected from this survey will provide the higher education community with the latest trends on strategic international partnerships from a multitude of perspectives, and contribute to the growing body of empirical data on this topic. The results will also be synthesized into a chapter in the upcoming IIE/DAAD publication, Global Perspectives on Strategic International Partnerships (May 2015). Please complete this survey by January 30, 2015. Should you have any questions about the survey, please contact cip@iie.org.

IIE welcomes new member institutions to the IIENetwork, connecting over 7,000 individuals at more than 1,300 member institutions with a commitment to internationalization. For more information about IIE's membership program, please visit www.iie.org/IIENetwork.

All new IIE members will be added to the next edition of the IIENetwork Handbook for International Educators. This resource includes comprehensive listings and resources for networking and internationalizing your campus.

Georgia College & State University
Membership Contact: Steve Dorman, President

Higher School of Economics, Russia
Membership Contact: Sergei Erofeev, Vice-Rector

Indiana University Kokomo
Membership Contact: Todd Gambill, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management

Jacksonville University
Membership Contact: Dr. Wenying Xu, Provost

La Sierra University
Membership Contact: Alexandrew Schmidt, Int'l Enrollment Counselor

Marywood University
Membership Contact: Christian DiGregorio, Director of University Admissions

Penn State Harrisburg
Membership Contact: Marie Louise Abram, Director of Int'l Programs & External Relations

Salem State University
Membership Contact: Mary Churchill, Associate Provost, Academic Affairs

Thomas Jefferson University
Membership Contact: Lisa Witiw, Executive Assistant, Office of the Provost

University of District of Columbia
Membership Contact: Herman Prescott, Assistant Provost for Administration

University of Maine System
Membership Contact: Rosa Redonnett, Chief Student Affairs Officer

Wallace State Community College
Membership Contact: Stefany Pate, Communucations/Markerting

Shelley Antscherl has compiled for Global Living Magazine reviews for five books on studying abroad, including the joint IIE-AIFS publication, A Student Guide to Study Abroad. "Through a combination of prose, quotes from students and educators, and a reader quiz," writes the reviewer, "the book facilitates the reader in a thorough examination of his or her motivations [to study abroad]."

Maria Yagoda compiles for Bustle.com a list of books to encourage students to seize an overseas experience. "Whether you already have a trip planned for the upcoming semester, or you’re trying to decide where it is you want to go next year, I’ve compiled a reading list that is sure to inspire your taste for adventure," writes Yagoda.

IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) announces its next round of applications from scholars facing threats to their lives or academic work. Fellowships support temporary academic positions at colleges, universities, and other research institutions outside the scholars' home countries anywhere in the world. For consideration in March 2015, please submit application materials by Monday, February 2, 2015.

Professors, researchers, and public intellectuals from any country, field, or discipline may apply. Please refer eligible candidates and forward this announcement to any academic colleagues who may be interested.

• Qualifying applicants are currently facing or have recently fled from direct and immediate threats.
• Preference is given to scholars with a Ph.D. or other terminal degree in their field, and who have extensive teaching or research experience at a university, college, or other institution of higher learning.
• Women and scholars from under-represented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

 

IIE-SRF fellowships support visiting academic positions for up to one calendar year. Awards are issued for up to USD 25,000, plus individual health insurance coverage. Fellowships are disbursed through dedicated host partners, which provide direct support and a safe haven for IIE-SRF fellows. In most cases, hosts match the IIE-SRF fellowship award by providing salary / stipend support and other in-kind assistance that would make the scholar's appointment comparable to other visiting academic positions. Please note that IIE-SRF fellowships are awarded quarterly on a rolling basis. Applications are accepted at any time and can also be considered on an emergency basis.

IIE-SRF formalizes an unwavering commitment to preserve the lives, voices, and ideas of scholars around the globe. Since IIE-SRF's founding in 2002, the program has awarded fellowships to nearly 600 scholars from 52 countries, arranging visiting academic positions at more than 300 partner institutions in 40 countries.