Press Release: Public Universities Celebrate International Education Week

Senate Study Abroad Bill Gains Momentum

Washington, D.C.-NASULGC, A Public University Association, is proud to announce that The Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Act of 2006, S. 3744, has 36 cosponsors as of today. This news comes as we celebrate the 2006 International Education Week, a partnership between the U.S. Departments of Education and State to promote international education.

The Act authorizes the Secretary of State to set up a competitive grants system for both institutions and individuals. The program would dramatically increase student participation in study abroad, while focusing on increasing the numbers of low-income students and non-traditional destinations.

"I am very pleased that we have reached 36 cosponsors in only three months since the bill has been introduced," said Peter McPherson, President of NASUGLC. "One million students per year studying abroad in 10 years would change this country."

"A student today is not fully educated if there is no global component", says Dr. William B. DeLauder, President Emeritus of Delaware State University and Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Commission on Study Abroad. "Democratizing undergraduate study abroad is the next step in the evolution of American higher education."

Many of the Act's provisions come from the groundbreaking report Global Competence and National Needs: One Million Students Studying Abroad, published last year by the Congressionally appointed Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program. Last year, U.S. Senate Resolution 308 established 2006 as the Year of Study Abroad.

"International experiences are pivotal for understanding our world. Students who study abroad have a greater understanding of the cultures and differences of our global marketplace. They also act as ambassadors for our country and can help forge lasting relationships and goodwill between nations," said The Honorable Constance Newman, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Former Assistant Administrator of U.S. AID for Africa. Newman will deliver the George Washington Carver Lecture during NASULGC's 119th Annual Meeting in Houston, taking place during International Education Week.

Founded in 1887, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC, A Public University Association), is an association of public research universities, land-grant institutions, and many state public university systems. Its 214 members enroll more than 3.6 million students, award approximately a half-million degrees annually, and have an estimated 20 million alumni. As the nation's oldest higher education association, NASULGC is dedicated to excellence in learning, discovery and engagement. For more information, visit www.nasulgc.org <http://www.nasulgc.org/> .