The University of Illinois Springfield is pledging to double over the next five years the number of students it sends to study abroad.
UIS has joined the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad. As part of that initiative, IIE has committed $2 million for a Study Abroad Fund to be used by all its members to provide scholarships to college and high school students and grants to institutions.
UIS will attempt to raise more money to help finance the program through private donations, said spokesman Derek Schnapp.
The Springfield school sent 51 students to study abroad in the 2012-13 academic year, which includes the summer semester. Generally, more students participate in the summer, although they don’t get as many credit hours by choosing that time, Schnapp said.
“In a world of growing interconnectedness, studying abroad is important because it gives students a broader intercultural perspective and prepares them to thrive in increasingly multicultural communities and workplaces,” said UIS Chancellor Susan Koch.
The article was published in The State Journal-Register on March 4, 2014.
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