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July 13, 2021 – Davidson-Davie Community College has been selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable 25 Davidson-Davie students to obtain a U.S. passport and support their study abroad journeys. In this inaugural year of the initiative, IIE announced 40 selected institutions that, overall, will aid 1,000 U.S. students to procure their U.S. passports and to provide study abroad guidance.
It has long been part of IIE’s mission to increase participation and diversity in study abroad so that all students can gain the academic and career benefits of international experience. The IIE American Passport Project grant is intended to promote diversity, inclusion, access, and equity in study abroad and to support the IIENetwork, IIE’s global membership network, in their efforts to encourage students to go abroad who would otherwise not participate in an international experience as part of their college education. For students of limited means, studying abroad can require long-term planning and involve financial hurdles, like the cost of a passport, which could bar them from moving forward.
Through the IIE American Passport Project, IIE plans to have enabled 10,000 students to have passports by the end of this decade. Each year, IIE will help 1,000 college students obtain a U.S. passport by awarding funds to approximately 40 U.S. colleges and universities in the IIENetwork. Each institution will identify up to 25 of their first-year students, who are eligible for Pell grants. Eligibility is limited to first-year students to ensure that the students have ample time remaining in their college career and receive guidance from their advisors to map out a study abroad plan.
In this first year, IIE received nearly 200 applications proposing the various ways higher education institutions of all types and locations would be able to utilize the grant to support diverse student populations. At a time when COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of international education, these institutions demonstrate the drive to restart international initiatives they have been planning (either prior to the pandemic or during). For the 40 institutions selected, the IIE American Passport Project provides one critical piece of the multi-faceted effort needed to reach students who are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad: a passport. The selected institutions will provide innovative programming, engagement efforts, advising and support for those students they have identified with the goal of sending them on a study abroad program during their college experience.
The free passports will be distributed to qualified students when they pay a deposit for a spring or summer study abroad program. In late September, Davidson-Davie will offer a workshop on “How to Obtain your Passport,” offered as a part of the College’s regular “Passport Event” series. Volunteers from the international education committee will also be available to walk students through the process as needed.
The 40 IIENetwork U.S. member institutions selected for the 2021 IIE American Passport Project include:
Alcorn State University; Amherst College; Butler University; Central Michigan University; Central State University; Chatham University; College of DuPage; Davidson-Davie Community College; DePauw University; Fayetteville State University; Goshen College; Harper College; Harris-Stowe State University; Juniata College; Kapiolani Community College; Kings College; Massachusetts College of Art & Design; Montclair State University; North Carolina Central University; North Park University; Ohio Northern University; Rochester Institute of Technology; Saint Martin’s University; San Diego State University; Savannah State University; Stockton University; University of Arkansas-Fayetteville; University of Illinois-Chicago; University of Louisville; University of Maryland-Baltimore County; University of Missouri-Columbia; University of Nebraska Omaha; University of New Mexico; University of New Orleans; University of North Carolina-Wilmington; University of South Alabama; Ursinus College; Virginia Tech; Western Michigan University; and Xavier University of Louisiana.
About IIE:
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a world leader in helping people and organizations leverage the power of international education to thrive in today’s interconnected world. As a not-for-profit with 17 offices and affiliates worldwide, IIE manages 200+ programs with participants from 180+ countries. Each year, tens of thousands of people participate in IIE-managed programs. IIE collaborates with a range of corporate, government and foundation partners across the globe to design and manage scholarship, study abroad, workforce training, and leadership development programs.
The IIENetwork is the global membership network connecting more than 10,000 professionals from over 1,500 institutions and organizations to resources, including IIE’s extensive knowledge and decades of experience supporting student mobility and exchange, campus internationalization, and international partnerships.
About Davidson-Dave Community College:
Davidson-Davie Community College (www.davidsondavie.edu), which incorporated Davie County into its name in 2021, is a fully accredited, multi-campus college where students of all ages and backgrounds pursue academic and career-focused education in order to build successful futures. As one of 58 institutions within the North Carolina Community College System, Davidson-Davie offers more than 40 degree and professional certificate programs, as well as affordable college-credit coursework to students who plan to transfer to four-year schools. With a mission to serve the changing needs of students competing in a global environment, Davidson-Davie is committed to quality education, innovative and equitable learning experiences, training, and support across a wide range of 21st-century career fields.
For more information, contact:
IIE: Press@iie.org
Davidson-Davie Community College: Jenny_Varner@DavidsonDavie.edu