MCC Awarded IDEAS Grant To Build Study Abroad Capacity

Fenton MI

16 August, 2022

3:42 PM

Description

Press release from Mott Community College: Mott Community College will expand its study abroad and service abroad programs with funding support from the U.S. Department of State's Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program. MCC is one of 44 colleges and universities, and one of only 10 community colleges, across the United States to receive this funding. MCC will use the IDEAS grants to create, expand, and/or diversify American student mobility overseas in support of U.S. foreign policy goals. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and supported in its implementation by World Learning. "We are very excited to receive the IDEAS Grant," said MCC President, Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea. "It will enable us to take the next steps in our commitment to building capacity for inclusive study and service abroad at Mott Community College, with a special emphasis on recruiting minority and underrepresented students," she said. During the last seven years, Mott Community College has made great strides to increase globally-oriented educational opportunities through its International Institute. And, while the MCC International Institute has been able to launch five programs, including International and Global Studies (IGS), International Student Support (ISS), Study Abroad, Curriculum Globalization, and Cultural Engagement, expansion of opportunities has been challenging for study abroad and curriculum globalization, according to Debra Gibes, MCC International Institute co-coordinator.Currently, study abroad programming at MCC is non-credit bearing and has been limited to students enrolled in Spanish courses. The International Institute at MCC plans to use the IDEAS Grant to build global networking and training opportunities for faculty members, and provide ways to open access to study abroad for faculty. Plans also include expanding globalization principles in the curriculum to increase global competencies for faculty and their students through expanded intellectual and practical opportunities within the wider world. An effort will also be made to increase access to effective technology, to facilitate building a strong interest and ease of participating in study abroad programming among students and faculty."The U.S. Department of State is committed to supporting U.S. colleges and universities as they continue to rebuild study abroad capacity impacted by the global pandemic. IDEAS grant recipients reflects the full diversity of the U.S. higher education system, and we are committed to working with them to build study abroad programs that are accessible for Americans of all backgrounds and that provide more opportunities for American students to engage with people in more diverse destinations around the world." said Heidi Manley, USA Study Abroad Chief, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since 2016, the IDEAS Program has awarded 145 grants to 139 institutions in 48 states and territories to create, expand, and diversify their U.S. study abroad programs in 71 countries across all world regions. In addition to the IDEAS grant competition, the program also offers opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators at U.S. colleges and universities to participate in a series of free virtual and in-person study abroad capacity building activities. Funded projects are supporting such activities as developing new international partnerships and programs, training faculty and staff, internationalizing curriculum, creating resources to engage diverse student groups in study abroad and creating virtual and hybrid exchanges. For further information about other study abroad resources and other exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit https://studyabroad.state.gov/. This press release was produced by Mott Community College. The views expressed here are the author's own.