New bill may be ticket to international studies

March 5, 2009 by Jorge Labrador 

Proposed act could make exchange programs accessible

Travel abroad scholarships like the one CSUN introduced last year may have made it easier for some students to learn overseas, but a bill recently introduced in the U.S. Senate may some day bring the option to study abroad to one million students across the country.

Senators Dick Durbin (D–Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R–Miss.) introduced the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2009 on Feb. 25, calling for the creation of a national program that would expand the availability of study abroad programs.

A nearly identical bill saw strong bipartisan support during the previous congressional session, but failed to pass before the session ended. 

“Sen. Paul Simon had a vision – to strengthen the role of the U.S. as a world leader by investing in the education of our young people,” Durbin said in a statement. 

“The international study abroad program we are proposing will instill in the next generation of Americans a deeper understanding of the cultures and histories of other nations. This… will enhance the United States’ capacity to lead in the 21st century.”

If signed into law, the bill will authorize the creation of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation, with specific funding levels to be determined through a separate appropriations process. This would not, however, affect existing study abroad systems like UNLV International Programs.

The program created by the Simon Act will create a pool of federal study abroad scholarships and encourage colleges to address the on-campus factors that affect study abroad participation, namely faculty involvement with programs and institutional leadership. The program may require schools to comply with some institutional reforms before they can access federal funds.

“It is important that our country prepare our young people for the challenges of competing in an increasingly globalized marketplace,” said Wicker in a statement. “America will be served well by taking steps to ensure our students – the future leaders of our nation – have a higher level of foreign language proficiency and international and cultural knowledge. The passage of this legislation would help us meet that important goal.”

Foreign language fluency is one of the selling points of study abroad programs in an increasingly globalized age. Spanish major Kellie Thompson studied abroad in Costa Rica and said the experience helped her academically and personally.

Thompson completed a minor in Latin American studies while in Costa Rica.

“The classes abroad have a lot to do with the culture you’re living in,” Thompson said, explaining that the lessons learned in the classroom apply to life as an exchange student.

Thompson is one of a relatively few students who use study abroad programs. The Simon Act will make these programs accessible to more students.

According to the Association of International Educators, a non-profit organization which promotes international student exchange between universities, only 241,791 U.S. students participated in study abroad programs in the 2006-2007 academic year, a mere 1.36 percent of students enrolled in degree-granting institution. 

The Simon Act aims to see that number increase to one million within ten years, expand opportunities for students currently underrepresented in study abroad programs and increase the number of students that study abroad in non-traditional destinations.

“Today in America, college students increasingly recognize that they will graduate into a global job market, that every aspect of life and work will be connected in some way to the world beyond our borders,” said National Association for Foreign Student Advisers Executive Director and CEO Marlene M. Johnson in a statement.  

“They need global knowledge, cross-cultural competencies and foreign language capability – skills that study abroad is uniquely able to offer.  And it is time for us as a country to invest in giving them those skills. Our future global leadership and economic competitiveness depend on it.”

Thompson described the personal growth studying abroad provides.

“It’s important for a young adult to see that… what’s normal to you at home isn’t going to be what’s normal everywhere,” Thompson said. 

“It’s a time for a lot of personal reflection. [Study abroad] really is an opportunity to reinvent yourself and grow.”

The Simon Act is endorsed by more than 40 education organizations and a bipartisan group of 15 senators.