EUSA – Academic Internship Programs Joins the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad Initiative
(PRWEB) November 17, 2014 -- EUSA – Academic Internship Programs has joined the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad initiative to help more Americans to gain international experience through study abroad programs. EUSA is part of a coalition that encompasses 450 partners to date. The announcement marks the start of the 15th annual celebration of International Education Week.
IIE’s Generation Study Abroad (http://www.iie.org/generationstudyabroad) seeks to mobilize resources and commitments with the goal of doubling the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade.
With over 30 years experience of designing and implementing high quality, customized academic internship programs that immerse partners' students in new cultures, EUSA recognizes first-hand the positive impact of study abroad experience on student lives.
Under the new partnership, EUSA will take concrete, action-oriented steps to expand opportunities for study abroad:
- EUSA will assist one public university partner who wishes to expand their internship options by offering free placement services for five underrepresented students per year for the next five years.
- EUSA will develop media content targeted to study abroad offices, career centers, students and parents, promoting the meaningful impact of international experience on graduate employability.
- EUSA will contribute annually and support the fundraising efforts of study abroad scholarship organizations such as the Fund for Education Abroad.
- EUSA will aim to grow student enrollment by 50% over the five-year life span of the initiative.
“The opportunity to live, study and work abroad not only benefits the individual through career advancement within the global economy, but also benefits society as a whole through increased cultural understanding and we welcome Generation Study Abroad’s goal to extend that opportunity to more U.S. students than ever before,” says Julie Kelly, EUSA – Academic Internship Programs Executive Director.
Generation Study Abroad partners to date include 298 colleges and universities of all sizes and types across the country and around the world, as well as 13 governments, 16 education associations, 67 international partners, and 56 study abroad, K-12, and social network organizations who have committed to specific goals to increase the number of U.S. students studying abroad. Commitments include actions to diversity the population of students who participate in study abroad and provide additional financial resources to make this possible.
IIE launched Generation Study Abroad early this year in the belief that the number and proportion of today’s students who graduate with an educational experience abroad is far too low. Currently, fewer than 10 percent of all U.S. college students study abroad at some point in their academic career, according to the Open Doors Report on International and Educational Exchange published by IIE with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Generation Study Abroad aims to grow participation in study abroad so that the annual total reported will reach 600,000 by the end of the decade.
New Open Doors data, released on November 17, is available on the Open Doors website: http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors/Data/US-Study-Abroad.
“Globalization has changed the way the world works, and employers are increasingly looking for workers who have international skills and expertise,” says Dr. Allan Goodman, President of IIE. “Studying abroad must be viewed as an essential component of a college degree and critical to preparing future leaders.”
About Generation Study Abroad
Generation Study Abroad seeks to significantly increase study abroad participation by bringing employers, governments, associations, and others together to build on current best practices and find new ways to extend study abroad opportunities and resources to tens of thousands of college students whose needs are not currently served by existing programs. Generation Study Abroad will sustain an ongoing dialogue about the need for more students from all backgrounds and in all fields to gain international experience. This will include research to identify and break down barriers hindering students from studying abroad, communications to share strategies and best practices to increase study abroad, and fundraising to mobilize additional financial resources. IIE will also hold a Summit on Generation Study Abroad on October 1-2, 2015 to engage stakeholders in higher education and all commitment partners.
About EUSA – Academic Internship Programs
http://www.eusainternships.org
Established in 1984, EUSA is an international, not-for-profit, internship organization in partnership with Boston University.
EUSA builds and implements customized, academically-directed internship programs in Europe for educational partners, including universities, colleges, departments, programs, and individual professors. EUSA and its partner academic institutions believe strongly that internships undertaken as part of a study abroad or study away program are more than practical training: they constitute an important compliment to the learning of the classroom and promote the advancement of cultural understanding.
EUSA currently works with over 55 universities worldwide and places close to 2,000 students in internships in London, Dublin, Madrid and Paris each year.
About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,200 member institutions. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.
Rebecca Woolf, EUSA - Academic Internship Programs, http://www.eusainternships.org, +353 14434266, [email protected]
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