FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Matt Clausen mclausen@partners.net (202) 637-6211
Contact: Rebecca Morgan rebeccam@nafsa.org (202) 495-2559
FIRST LATIN AMERICAN GRANT RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED IN OBAMA’S 100,000 STRONG IN THE AMERICAS INITIATIVE Capacity building grants will expand and enrich study abroad across the Western Hemisphere WASHINGTON, MARCH 5, 2014: Today, Partners of the Americas, together with NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the U.S. Department of State, announced the first Latin American colleges and universities selected to receive capacity building grants from President Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative. These grants, funded by the U.S. Department of State, will be used to expand and enrich study abroad opportunities across the Americas. The goal of President Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative is to increase the number of U.S. students studying abroad in the Western Hemisphere to 100,000, and increase the number of Western Hemisphere students studying in the United States to 100,000 per year by 2020. According to Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, “Education underpins our other goals in the Americas. We can expand the momentous economic gains of the past decade only if we improve education.” This latest group of nine recipients includes higher education institutions in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. They join four U.S. colleges and universities and their partner institutions in Peru and Chile, whose grants were announced in January. Through these competitive grants, colleges and universities will increase their institutional capacity to expand and sustain their study abroad programs. Students will improve their language skills, build on their experiences learning and living abroad, get hands-on research opportunities in another country, and position themselves for a competitive advantage in their careers as global leaders, professionals, and citizens. This supports the President's emphasis on increasing access to high quality post-secondary education, increasing collaboration and innovation, and strengthening jobs and middle-class professional opportunities. As President Obama said in his speech in Mexico City last year, “When we study together and we learn together, we work together and we prosper together." In response to the President’s call, the U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators launched the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund to mobilize resources for this initiative, with a goal of raising $10 million per year in private sector investment. Currently, the Innovation Fund is accepting applications for the next grant competition for awards up to $25,000. This round, “Promoting Study Abroad Partnerships for Innovation and Collaboration” is sponsored by Santander Universities, a division of Santander Bank. To apply for a grant, colleges and