IIE and Juniper Networks announced this week the inaugural Women Enhancing Technology (WeTech) Scholarship and Internship for University Women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs. This initiative invests in young women in the United States and India by offering scholarship money for study in the STEM fields as well as paid internship opportunities with Juniper Networks. Combining financial support with internships gives women an opportunity to gain real-world experience, access to role models and mentors, and enhanced technical skills to succeed in a technical career.

The global Juniper Selection Committee kicked off the program by selecting two U.S. winners: Nicole Deleon, a biomedical engineering major from San Jose State University, and Taylor White, a computer engineering major from Howard University. Each recipient of the award will receive a $10,000 scholarship for the 2015/2016 school year as well as the opportunity to participate in a paid 12-week internship at Juniper’s Global Headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., Juniper’s OpenLab in Bridgewater, N.J., or Juniper’s New England Innovation Center in Westford, Mass. IIE and Juniper Networks plan to extend the program to include four additional award recipients from India later this year.

As the Manager of the WeTech initiative, IIE is actively seeking new partners and resources to expand the program’s reach and impact. Individuals and organizations that wish to participate should contact IIE at WeTech@iie.org.

Next month, IIE will celebrate the high school graduation of the first cohort of girls enrolled in its Higher Education Readiness (HER) program in Ethiopia. The HER girls have overcome significant obstacles to complete secondary school. Their families, teachers and mentors are as proud of their accomplishments as all of us at IIE who have been working on HER, in particular our wonderful colleagues in the Addis Ababa office.

We hope to affirm IIE’s commitment to their education by providing the resources that will enable the HER girls to take the next step and pursue higher education. To support this goal, IIE has launched its first crowdfunding site her.causevox.com. Every dollar is being matched 1:1 by IIE!

IIE’s Clare Banks and Daniel Obst recently returned from the Devex Executive Forum in Myanmar, a major gathering of international development and donor agencies and other stakeholders. In their blog, they share about Myanmar’s progress since their last visit to launch a training course for Myanmar universities on developing and managing an international education office. "While the Myanmar government and key foreign partners are making huge investments, human capital development remains a major hurdle," write Banks and Obst. "However, we are astounded at the difference a couple of years can make."

In the 2012-2013 academic year, over 14,000 American students studied in China. How has their time abroad changed them and what might their impact be? 343 Americans surveyed. — Foreign Policy

Research conducted by Study Portals and the British Council looks at the world’s top 1,000 universities’ recruitment process through the eyes of international students. — Studyportals.eu

The British Council’s Broadening Horizons report has found a greater interest in study abroad among U.S. students than their UK counterparts. — The PIE News

This article provides a snapshot of IIE’s work and growth in 2014, drawing from the IIE 2014 Annual Report and other sources. — The PIE News

Opportunities to gain global skills should be available to all, but expanding diversity in study abroad continues to elude many U.S. campuses. — Chronicle of Higher Education 

In an attempt to better understand why learning abroad matters for students, 11 Australian universities recently participated in a study of the early career benefits of learning abroad programs. — University World News

IIE and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) are currently accepting registrations for the 18th Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education. The Annual Colloquium attracts engineering and foreign language deans and faculty along with study abroad professionals, administrators and senior leadership at higher education institutions. Representatives from industry and various government agencies are also in attendance. IIE will kick-start the event with a pre-conference networking dinner on Wednesday, November 4th. During the two-day conference, we will hear panelists and presenters speak about Building Strategic International Partnerships, the theme of this year's Colloquium.

Fewer than 100 slots for U.S. Higher Education Representatives remain for this year’s Forum. The EducationUSA Forum is designed for professionals at accredited U.S. colleges and universities seeking to recruit, enroll, and support international students. Forum participants will gain practical skills and explore strategies for utilizing EducationUSA resources to recruit international students and ensure their success on campus. Concurrent sessions will provide insights into regional mobility trends and recruitment tips, outline models of good practice in campus internationalization, and provide opportunities to exchange knowledge with EducationUSA staff from around the world, U.S. higher education representatives, and government officials.

Registration is open for Berkeley Study Abroad’s 28th annual Study Abroad Fair on Friday, September 25, 2015. Fair attendees will have access to over 1500 UC Berkeley students who are looking for the study abroad program that best meets their needs. Participants are encouraged to register as early as possible, as tables will be assigned in the order payment and insurance documentation are received.

Now is the time to renew your IIENetwork membership, which will allow you to continue to take full advantage of the many resources IIE offers. IIE membership renewal forms for the 2015/2016 academic year have been sent by email to the membership contact at each member institution. If you have not yet renewed your IIE membership, please take a moment to complete your renewal by June 30.

IIENetwork is IIE's membership program, with over 1,300 member institutions around the world. Each membership designee is an important link in a network of over 7,000 individuals with a commitment to the internationalization of their institutions. As an IIENetwork member, you benefit from international education publications, resources, discounts, and sharing best practices. IIE's offices around the world work closely with members to assist you in accessing IIE's expertise and information on the many programs for which your students and faculty may be eligible. 

As an IIENetwork member, your campus will receive complimentary copies of our valuable print resources, including the Open Doors report, the IIENetwork Handbook for International Educators, the IIENetworker magazine, and more. You will also be able to access members-only data on www.iie.org, receive member discounts for IIE's International Academic Partnership Program, and your IIENetwork membership ensures that you are eligible to nominate the innovative programs at your campus for the 2016 IIE Andrew Heiskell Awards. 

You can renew your membership, update your designees, and pay the membership dues for your institution online. For more information on how to renew online, visit www.abdi-ecommerce10.com/iiemembership/. If you need an invoice, or for more information, please email membership@iie.org.

Five months after pledging a bold set of initiatives in support of Generation Study Abroad, CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange is once again breaking down the main barriers to international education: cost, curriculum, and culture. On May 27, during the NAFSA Annual Conference, CIEE President and CEO James P. Pellow announced a new $20,000 grant to recognize innovative international programs created by faculty members and administrators at U.S. colleges and universities. Selected faculty will receive funding to run a custom CIEE program that will enable students from underrepresented groups to study abroad, allowing them to develop critical intercultural knowledge and professional skills. Faculty can apply for the grant on CIEE’s new Generation Study Abroad website, launched last week, which offers resources for students and faculty to learn how they can play a role in increasing study abroad participation and provides tools for tracking CIEE’s progress in the effort.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is pleased to announce the Fall 2015 & Academic Year 2015-2016 awards offered. We thank the eighty selection panelists from various colleges and universities across the nation who met at the IIE office in Houston, TX, to review nearly 2,900 applications for the fall and academic year application cycle. More than 850 outstanding students were selected to receive the scholarship to participate in credit-bearing study abroad programs and career-oriented internships in countries all around the world.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program is a congressionally funded program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and has been administered by the Institute of International Education since program inception in 2001. The Gilman Scholarship Program offers grants of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students of high financial need participating in a credit-bearing study abroad program or international internship eligible. Students studying a critical need language could be eligible to receive a grant of up to $8,000. The Gilman Program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go by supporting U.S. undergraduates who might otherwise not consider these unique and valuable opportunities due to financial constraints.

An article this week in VICE discusses the current threat to scholars worldwide and global efforts to provide safe haven to continue their scholarship. "[Syrian] universities have reportedly lost about one third of their professors and at least 100,000 students," writes Rohrlich. Often perceived as the ‘elite’ of society, scholars "don't generally draw as sympathetic an ear," according to Sarah Wilcox, director of IIE Scholar Rescue Fund. Though IIE and others see their protection as necessary to preserve both the content of their ideas and the human right to pursue them.