To many, beginning college is a time of new opportunities - a time to leave home, to be exposed to new academic avenues, and to meet new people. Many U.S. institutions also boast the opportunities they provide in helping students to study in foreign countries. While over 800 colleges and universities send students abroad every year, very few students actually can or do take advantage of the opportunity. In the 2006-2007 academic school year, about 240,000 – or 1% of the U.S. college population – studied abroad. While some may jump to conclude it is because students choose not to study abroad, the reality is that many students do not have the economic resources to do so. The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is trying to change that.
On June 10, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, which is included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 235 to 187. Presented by senators Dick Durbin and Roger Wicker, the bill has a goal of sending 1 million college students abroad every year – four times the current number – through $80 million in federal grants by 2018. The money will be available to colleges, individual students and other non-governmental study abroad programs. The bill’s goals are to increase and improve global awareness, critical language skills, and foreign relations. Senator Wicker, stated, “America will be served well by taking steps to ensure our students – the future leaders of our nation – have a higher level of foreign language proficiency and international and cultural knowledge.”
With more Americans facing economic troubles every day, studying abroad has not necessarily been a feasible option for many college students. This bill would not only allow many more students to study abroad than ever before, but it would also let them do so in non-traditional parts of the world. With marked increases in the number of students studying abroad in the Middle East, Asia, and South America in recent years, the bill promotes what students already desire to do.
The bill will now head to the Senate Foreign Relations committee for a vote. President Barack Obama has already stated he would sign the bill if placed in front of him. If it does pass, the opportunities for students to study abroad will increase drastically over the next decade. Living and studying abroad is one of the greatest ways to increase personal growth and awareness of the world at large. The Paul Simon Act recognizes that and will hopefully help to create a bridge over troubled water.
On June 10, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, which is included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 235 to 187. Presented by senators Dick Durbin and Roger Wicker, the bill has a goal of sending 1 million college students abroad every year – four times the current number – through $80 million in federal grants by 2018. The money will be available to colleges, individual students and other non-governmental study abroad programs. The bill’s goals are to increase and improve global awareness, critical language skills, and foreign relations. Senator Wicker, stated, “America will be served well by taking steps to ensure our students – the future leaders of our nation – have a higher level of foreign language proficiency and international and cultural knowledge.”
With more Americans facing economic troubles every day, studying abroad has not necessarily been a feasible option for many college students. This bill would not only allow many more students to study abroad than ever before, but it would also let them do so in non-traditional parts of the world. With marked increases in the number of students studying abroad in the Middle East, Asia, and South America in recent years, the bill promotes what students already desire to do.
The bill will now head to the Senate Foreign Relations committee for a vote. President Barack Obama has already stated he would sign the bill if placed in front of him. If it does pass, the opportunities for students to study abroad will increase drastically over the next decade. Living and studying abroad is one of the greatest ways to increase personal growth and awareness of the world at large. The Paul Simon Act recognizes that and will hopefully help to create a bridge over troubled water.
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