Local University Receives Grant for new Study-Abroad Programs

Clemson University is among nine universities receiving new 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund grants to support university partnerships and new study-abroad programs.

The grants, sponsored by ExxonMobil, were announced by The White House, U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators at an event with Vice President Joe Biden.

“We have to invest in the greatest natural resource we all have – in our people… this investment in our young minds is critically important,” Biden said. “It rests on exposure… exposure to culture, language and politics of other countries. That’s how we’re going to build the closest ties that will cement the economic growth and stability of this hemisphere.”

The goal of 100,000 Strong in the Americas, President Obama’s signature education initiative in the Western Hemisphere, is to increase the number of U.S. students studying in the Western Hemisphere to 100,000, and the number of Western Hemisphere students studying in the United States to 100,000 by the year 2020. The initiative is aimed at enhancing hemispheric competitiveness, increasing prosperity and preparing a more globally competent workforce.

Clemson is partnering with Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, México, in a project titled “Promoting Cross-Cultural Physics and Engineering Teams for Today’s Operational Challenges”

The program focuses on developing the capabilities of students to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary, cross-cultural teams. Some of the main innovations in the proposed program include the creation of student bi-national teams that will collaborate on joint projects that provide solutions to real-world problems posed by industry partners; travel of the student teams to both locations to allow students to act both as hosts and visitors and educate their peers in the local culture, habits and expectations; and the bringing together of academic and industrial partners to promote economic impact.

The objective of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund competition is to increase study abroad in engineering, physics, geology and geophysics. The winning higher education institutions submitted innovative proposals that will create new or build on existing partnerships that increase study abroad opportunities for STEM students, especially those in the eligible academic fields of study from six countries. The competition was open to institutions in the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and Mexico.

“Employers, including this round’s supporter, ExxonMobil, tell us they want many more bilingual, globally savvy staff from the field to their corporate offices,” said Steve Vetter, president and CEO of Partners of the Americas. “The 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund is working hard and effectively to achieve this goal.”

The Innovation Fund awards promote transnational institutional partnerships rather than direct scholarships. The announced awards are up to $25,000 each and will leverage commitments from the selected universities to increase student mobility, address institutional barriers that prevent STEM students from studying abroad, and promote study abroad in engineering, physics, geology, and geophysics in the Western Hemisphere. It is expected that approximately 132 students will study abroad as a result of the nine grants awarded.