June 24, 2015
The Catholic University of America has been selected to receive $7,500 to support new scholarships for study abroad from the Institute for International Education (IIE)'s Generation Study Abroad initiative. Catholic University will match this funding to make a total of six student scholarship awards of $2,500 each.
These scholarships will be awarded for the spring 2016 semester, and can be used toward the cost of tuition, books, and travel related to study abroad.
The initiative aims to make study abroad opportunities accessible to all students, especially those who are typically underrepresented in such programs, according to the IIE website. Catholic University is one of 26 universities that have been selected by IIE to receive study abroad scholarships for their students.
CUA was selected for this grant based on the progress the University has made toward its study abroad commitment and the impact these student scholarships will have in increasing and diversifying study abroad on campus. "We are dedicated to making study abroad more cost effective and to better integrating it into the CUA curriculum and University culture," explained Grace Schneider, director of Education Abroad.
The Education Abroad office has lowered the cost of programs and passed the savings on to students, said Schneider. This fall, students should see the difference in the form of decreased program fees for exchanges and a greater number of study abroad scholarships.
Education Abroad has expanded its program offerings to engineering and nursing majors while also creating new opportunities for first-year students and seminarians. The office aims to raise student participation in Study Abroad from the current participation rate of 30% to 50% by 2020, said Schneider.
"We are hoping that this grant from IIE, along with the support of the University President and provost will change the overall campus culture regarding study abroad. We are hopeful that more students will seek study abroad opportunities. We have already seen an increase in our fall enrollment from 55 students to 67 students," said Mario Ortiz, vice provost of international affairs.
IIE's Generation Study Abroad is a five-year initiative to mobilize resources and commitments with the goal of doubling the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade. Launched in March 2014, the network has more than 600 partners from the U.S. and abroad.