ITTA BENA, Miss. — Mississippi Valley State University is among 24 U.S. colleges and universities to be awarded the 2020 Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students Grants (IDEAS Grants), the USA Study Abroad recently announced.
As part of the Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad, the award will help MVSU support U.S. foreign policy goals by developing and expanding their study abroad programs around the world.
The title of MVSU’s project is, “Expanding Horizons: Building Study Abroad Capacity at a Small, Southern, Rural Institution.”
Panels of U.S. higher education representatives recommended the awarded institutions for funding from a pool of 115 proposals. MVSU is the only institution of higher learning from Mississippi to be awarded.
“MVSU’s project will engage students, faculty, staff, and administrators across campus to strengthen study abroad initiatives and increase institutional support for study abroad,” said Lokesh Shivakumaraiah, MVSU’s executive director of International Relations and assistant to the provost.
The institution's multipronged study abroad capacity building plan will utilize IDEAS grant funding to build study abroad awareness among students and their parents with a year-round marketing campaign and the development of pre-study programming.
“MVSU will also use funds to provide training and resources to help faculty develop new study abroad programs and internationalize the curriculum. This approach, which aims to break down academic silos to encourage the integration of study abroad into existing curricula, is consonant with MVSU’s vision,” added Shivakumaraiah.
“We are committed to continuing our support for U.S. colleges and universities as they build their study abroad capacity now, in anticipation of a strong return to U.S. student mobility in the future… When American students study abroad, they support critical U.S. foreign policy goals by building relationships with foreign peers, sharing American culture and values, and developing valuable career skills. With these international experiences, the next generation of Americans is being equipped with the skills necessary to compete and succeed globally,” said Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
IDEAS is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported by World Learning implementation.
The Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad is designed to expand and diversify American student mobility in support of U.S. foreign policy goals.
The program believes it is imperative that the next generation of leaders – American students of all backgrounds – engage internationally to foster mutual understanding and develop critical skills in support of U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.
The program expands the institutional capacity of U.S. higher education institutions (HEIs) to increase and diversify U.S. student mobility abroad and achieves this through two main components: a small grants competition awarding up to $35,000 to accredited U.S. HEIs to create, expand, and diversify their U.S. study abroad programs and a series of study abroad capacity building activities, both virtual and in-person, to expand capacity in the more comprehensive U.S. study abroad community.
This year’s winning institutions come from 18 states and Puerto Rico and represent the full diversity of the American higher education system, including five community colleges and eight Minority Serving Institutions.
Faculty and students interested to learn more about the international education, scholarships, internship and research may contact the Office of International Programs 662-254-3092 Dr. Lokesh Shivakumaraiah at Lokesh@mvsu.edu and Ms. Cristina Radulescu (cr_mvsu@yahoo.com)."