CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Seventeen University of Illinois undergraduates have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships totaling $71,000 to study abroad.
During the past academic year, the U. of I. had more Gilman recipients than any other Big Ten school, ranking 15th in the country.
“This success is due to a coordinated effort among the Office of Student Financial Aid, which advertises the scholarship; various campus study abroad offices that advise students about the award; and our program that reviews student application materials and provides feedback to the students,” said David Schug, co-director of the National and International Scholarships Program at Illinois. “It is a great example of different university offices coming together with the common goal of helping our economically disadvantaged students succeed.”
U. of I. recipients, their programs, destinations and period of award include (EDITORS: See list).
The Illinois recipients are among 1,700 outstanding American undergraduates from more than 480 U.S. colleges and universities offered a Gilman Scholarship.
Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply toward their study abroad program costs, and a limited number of Critical Need Language Scholarships are given each year for a total award of $8,000. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must demonstrate financial need by receiving a federal Pell Grant for their current studies.
The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education. Applications for spring or summer 2011 study abroad scholarships are due by Oct. 5, 2010.
Since the establishment of the Gilman International Scholarship Program by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000, more than 6,000 students nationwide have received the award. The program honors U.S. Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman, of New York, a former chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee who retired in 2002 after serving 30 years in the House of Representatives.
“Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience,” Gilman said. “It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”
GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
BURR RIDGE – Hyun-Joo Oh, language and culture, Amman, Jordan, fall 2010
CHICAGO 60608 – Andy Tu, liberal arts and sciences/medicine and public health, Beijing, summer 2010 (program canceled)
CHICAGO 60616 – Rebecca Lai, Chinese University of Hong Kong, spring 2010
CHICAGO 60640 – Wing Chan, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, spring 2010
CHICAGO 60657 – Christina Verdos-Petrou, IES Madrid, academic year 2010-11
CRYSTAL LAKE – Nicholas Wood, Illinois Program in Paris, academic year 2010-11
ELGIN – Anne Reuss, Verona Studies Program, Italy, fall 2010
ELMHURST – Katie Perrone, Food and Culture in Rome, spring 2010
EVANSTON – Allison Rustin, CIEE Dakar, Senegal, fall 2010
GENOA – Caitlin Hubbs, Architecture in Versailles, France, academic year 2010-11
JACKSONVILLE – Rachel Luttrell, biodiversity, agriculture and culture of Taiwan, National Taiwan University, summer 2010
MONTGOMERY – Agustin Duran Jr., Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, fall 2010
NORTHBROOK – David Goese, liberal arts and sciences/medicine and public health, Beijing, summer 2010 (program canceled)
PALATINE – Michal Ojrzanowski, Architecture in Versailles, France, academic year 2010-11
ST. CHARLES – Jeanette Huber, wildlife management studies, SFS Kimana/Nairobi, Kenya, spring 2010
WESTMONT – Ezra Paek, Korea University, South Korea, spring 2010
OUT OF STATE
TEXAS, Spring – Anil Hussain, China in the 21st Century, Alliance Beijing, summer
