262 MT Study Abroad Has Money for Trips that Make Dreams Come True

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 4, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Jennifer Campbell, 615-898-5179

SPANNING THE GLOBE TO EXPAND STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES
MT Study Abroad Has Money for Trips that Make Dreams Come True

(MURFREESBORO) – MTSU students who want to broaden their educational lives by experiencing other cultures in other countries have a new source of funding to help them pay for their study-abroad trips. However, time is of the essence because students wishing to take advantage of these opportunities have tight deadlines to meet.
The MT Abroad Office is offering a Study Abroad Scholarship to undergraduate and graduate students who established MTSU student enrollment during the previous semester and maintain at least a 2.75 grade point average. The money comes from the International Education Fund, and there is $200,000 for allocations of $250 each, as well as additional funding for up to 50 percent of the cost of the total program. A separate pool of money is available to fund study-abroad programming for nationally underrepresented groups.
“When I first began my job here in study-abroad, I would need to convince a student and their family that this is an important part of their education at MTSU,” says Jennifer Campbell, director of International Education and Exchange. “This is no longer the case. The students now seek out our office; they understand the importance of study-abroad and how it is perceived in the job market, as well as graduate school.”
All approved study-abroad programs are applicable for the scholarship. These include, but are not limited to: Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS); TN-CIS; Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA); University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP); International Student Exchange Programs (ISEP); GEN-ED Abroad; MTSU Exchange; and MTSU faculty-led and approved independent programming.
Record numbers of American college students are studying in other nations, according to the 2007 Open Doors Report published by the Institute of International Education. The research shows that the number of U.S. students receiving academic credit for study-abroad has increased 150 percent in the past decade. Last year alone, the number jumped up to 8.5 percent to a total of 223,534.
The deadline for all KIIS applications is Friday, Feb. 8. The deadline for all other applications is Friday, Feb. 15. The appropriate forms may be accessed online at http://www.mtsu.edu/~mtabroad. Forms are to be submitted by mail to: Jennifer Campbell, Director of MT Abroad Office, Middle Tennessee State University, Peck Hall, Room 207, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132; or, they can be e-mailed to mtabroad@mtsu.edu or faxed to 615-494-7639. For more information, call the MT Abroad office at 615-898-5179.
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