News

Extraordinary Opportunity for More American Students to Study Abroad
Simon Bill now in Senate Committee 

An innovative and groundbreaking act under review by lawmakers promotes the goal of one million U.S. students studying abroad each year. The Senator Paul Simon Foundation Act is a program that will establish a “public-private partnership to create a more globally informed American citizenry.”  It promotes the goal of increasing participation and diversity in study abroad programs, especially in developing countries, by providing additional grant money for students. The U.S. House version (H.R. 1469) has passed, and legislation on the Senate side (S. 991) has cleared the Foreign Relations Committee. However, the Senate bill must reach the floor of the Senate for a vote before the end of this year to make the Simon Foundation a reality. Not since the passage of the Fulbright Act in 1946 has the United States enjoyed such a potentially powerful opportunity to impact international education for American students.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators is working to support this act through its Facebook group, “Join the Movement for Study Abroad." The group encourages NAFSA members and anyone else who believes in the importance of study abroad to send letters to U.S. senators asking them to pass the Simon Act. For further information, please visit:
http://www.nafsa.org/public_policy.sec/commission_on_the_abraham/.