On October 1-2, 2015, the inaugural IIE Summit will bring together Generation Study Abroad commitment partners in Washington, DC, to highlight their progress and create positive new solutions.

A sneak peak at session topics include:

• Articulating the Career Relevance of Education Abroad
• Does Virtual Exchange Create a Pipeline to Study Abroad?
• Using Retention and Success Data to Reach Your Target
• The One Person Shop: Tools and Strategies for Tiny Offices
• Attracting Americans: Making the Most of International Partnerships
• Government Strategies for Outbound Students

IIE has limited space reserved in the Grand Hyatt Hotel for accommodation for Summit participants. Hotel accommodation can be booked online through the conference registration site. Book early before they’re gone.

The Generation Study Abroad Teacher Campaign seeks 1,000 teachers across the United States to take part in IIE’s initiative to double the number of U.S. college students studying abroad. Teachers are powerful motivators capable of encouraging students to pursue any and all types of global study, from classroom projects in elementary school to study abroad programs in college.

IF YOU ARE A TEACHER, we invite you to Take the Pledge to encourage their students to have an international experience in college and to begin building their international skills now.

How relevant is international education today? 

As researchers, advocates for, and enablers of international education, it can be helpful for us to step back and take a fresh look at our collective work. This "show me" issue of IIENetworker magazine will collect and examine available evidence to shed new light on the relevance and impact of international education. We hope this process will also raise new questions about the role international education plays, can play, and should play in our future.

Articles can either: 

• Focus on a central aim of international education and present concrete evidence showing precisely how international education does or does not achieve this aim; we welcome macro- or micro-level discussions, either based on research, a case study, or a compelling story
• Or present a critical argument about why we do this work; articles can interrogate assumptions about core aims or question our usual methods of evaluation

If you are interested in submitting a 1200-word article for the fall 2015 issue of IIENetworker, please notify Jon Grosh at jgrosh@iie.org. Final submissions are due by May 15, 2015. For more information on IIENetworker, please visit: www.iie.org/iienetworker.

Tineka Lebrun, IIE’s Boren Outreach Officer, looks at student participation of the inaugural Virtual Study Abroad Fair hosted by IIE, the U.S. Department of State, and College Week Live and finds a level of diversity unmatched by most in-person fairs. "The virtual study abroad fair seemed to present the possibility of a different paradigm—a way to create a space where a large number of stakeholders, who would otherwise have difficulty connecting, could come together to share information that was once concentrated in certain geographical areas or socio-economic circles," writes Lebrun.

The fair took place February 25, 2015, but students and parents can login until May 26, 2015 to view booths and gather information. Once you register and login, you can type "study abroad" or the name of the exhibitor you want to visit into the Search box at the top of the page.

When it comes to the demographics of those who study abroad, there is a lack of representation for minority students across the board. This article explores why. — Huffington Post

Study abroad programs need to change in order to prepare students for an increasingly competitive global economy. SIT Study Abroad Vice Provost Priscilla Stone calls on educators to support new models of global education that emphasize collaboration with local communities and respect for alternative approaches. — WorldLearning.org

Germany landed in third place on a recent list of the five most affordable study-abroad destinations in the world. This comes as a result of a recent law requiring all federally funded institutions of higher learning to eliminate tuition for German and international students alike. — Investopedia.com

Looks at why it is a problem for everyone that so few African American students study abroad. — Atlantic

Explores how institutions can increase the number of students who study abroad, including those from disadvantaged or underrepresented groups. — DiverseEducation.com

University of Limerick hosts its first Study Abroad Week to coincide with its commitment to the Generation Study Abroad initiative. — Read more

Fund for Education Abroad demonstrates commitment to diversifying the population of American students studying abroad through their scholarship program. — Read more

New York Film Academy extends opportunities abroad to Photography Department students as part of NYFA’s IIE Generation Study Abroad commitment. — Read more

Rutgers Center for Global Education signs five-year pledge to send hundreds more students abroad annually. — Read more

The Israel Scholarship was born out of a partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and is intended to provide opportunities for the best and brightest of the Hispanic-American community to study abroad in Israel. Both graduate and undergraduate students are eligible for scholarships. The fund awards up to USD 3,000 scholarship prizes to qualified applicants. Additionally, many students may qualify for generous supplemental scholarships from Israeli universities.

IIE, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ EducationUSA Advising Network, invites 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) to submit proposals to be a Partner Organization for the second round of EducationUSA Leadership Institutes. Partner Organizations will develop and manage one or more EducationUSA Leadership Institute(s) for approximately15 mid- to upper-level foreign college or university administrators, Ministry of Education or other government officials, or other qualified participants from select countries and world regions. The Institutes consist of intensive, short-term academic programs that provide participants with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of U.S. higher education, develop the tools necessary to build capacity within their own systems, and engage with the U.S. higher education sector in effective, sustained ways. 

Applicants are invited to submit proposals to host one or more of the following Institutes (each proposed Institute must address only one of the following topics):

• EducationUSA Leadership Institute #1: Campus Internationalization: U.S. Graduate Education
• EducationUSA Leadership Institute #2: Industry-Private Sector Linkages and Innovation: Energy Sector Partnerships
• EducationUSA Leadership Institute #3: Campus Internationalization: Institutional Structures to Support Inbound and Outbound Student Mobility

Applicants are invited to submit proposals focusing on one or more of the above-mentioned topics. Please contact nfeldmann@iie.org with questions.

Singapore Management University is offering 2 scholarships to American students interested in participating in the SMU Global Summer Program 2015. The program, titled "SMU Global Summer Program 2015: Business, Innovation & Society in Asia" will take place from June 29 to July 24 2015 with an optional 1-week Learning Journey to another Asia city from July 27 to August 2. Students select from a list of 10 courses and enroll in 2 for the summer session. Courses include Asia Pacific Business, The Business of ‘Fun’; Managing in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous (VUCA) context, amongst others.