2019 Education Abroad Development Grants (Deadline May 31st)

The University Center for International Education (UCIE) is fostering internationalization through limited grants. These grants expand education abroad opportunities for students while providing high-impact professional development opportunities for faculty. Time is of the essence at this point in the term. For any questions related to each of these grants, please contact the AVP, International Affairs ASAP at bill.holmes@wright.edu.

1.     Chair's Grant for Curriculum Integration

A collaboration between the UCIE and The Knowledge Exchange Institute (KEI) www.keiabroad.org. Its purpose is to integrate a semester abroad into WSU academic programs. One department Chair identifying a minimum of 12 major-specific hours of WSU-equivalent courses in KEI's London, England program at London South Bank University (LSBU) or KEI's Bangkok, Thailand program at Mahidol University International College (MUIC) will earn a 3 day site familiarization visit. Visit will include detailed curriculum review, meetings with LSBU or MUIC faculty, a typical student excursion, housing and student services review, etc.

Academic programs available across both KEI locations include:

  • Arts: Design, Visual & Performance
  • Business & Economics
  • Communications: Journalism, Media & Advertising
  • Computer Science & Information Systems
  • Criminology, Forensics & Law
  • Engineering & Applied Science
  • Environment: Science, Policy & Management
  • International Relations & Political Science
  • Medicine, Health & Nutrition
  • Psychology & Social Sciences
  • Sports: Science, Management & Training
  • Life Science & Ecology
  • Physical Science & Mathematics
  • Thai Language & Area Studies

Internships available at both locations

Award will cover:

  • Round trip airfare to/from Dayton, Ohio (no exceptions)
  • In-country airport shuttles and all visit-related travel
  • 2-3 nights hotel
  • Meals scheduled within the site visit itinerary
  • All other costs not specifically listed will be at the Chair's expense

Process:

  1. Review LSBU or MUIC academic programs and course syllabi:
  2. Contact KEI President and Managing Director, Eduard Mandell Eduard@keiabroad.org to discuss specific academic programs, WSU/KEI course equivalents and begin the KEI course mapping process.
  3. Work with KEI to develop a tentative international "track" with no extra time to graduation
  4. Submit documents below.

Grant Application Documents:

  • Tentative course map with all WSU/KEI course equivalents
  • Brief narrative statement addressing the rationale for integrating the KEI program into your academic program
  • Academic advising proposal for future WSU students in the specific major
  • Number of WSU students currently within this academic program
  • Letter of endorsement from college Dean

Deadline: May 31st

Please send electronic copies of the Application Documents (below) to AVP International Affairs, Bill Holmes bill.holmes@wright.edu  by 5:00pm May 31st.

Award being made by June 7th. All travel must take place between August 1 & December 21, 2019 as coordinated between the Chair, WSU's AVP International Affairs and KEI's Managing Director.

Winner agrees to provide a report following the visit to include detailed course map with WSU/KEI equivalents, process and implementation timeline for finalizing the curriculum integration project. Project is expected to be complete and available to entering students beginning Fall '20.

 

2.     Ambassador Program Development Grant

Two competitive grants for full-time faculty members to develop summer 2021 (min 3-week) Ambassador Programs. This grant is to facilitate the engagement of more faculty with education abroad. Preference will be given to:

  1. Program ideas in Finland, Kenya, Hungary and Belize,
  2. Programs with defined, and assessable, intercultural components,
  3. Academic disciplines underrepresented by existing Ambassador Programs,
  4. Faculty who have not taught abroad before.

Faculty do not need prior experience in the countries listed above. WSU has partner institutions and organizations within these countries to work with in developing your program. Winning faculty will conduct a 3-5 day professional quality site evaluation and planning visit with the AVP of International Affairs and/or Associate Director of Study Abroad.

Award will cover:

  • Round trip airfare to/from Dayton, Ohio (no exceptions) and all required in-country travel
  • 3-5 nights' accommodation
  • Meals in-country
  • All other costs not specifically listed will be at the faculty member's expense

Grant Application Documents:

  • Cover sheet with proposed program title and faculty contact information
  • Brief statement addressing how the location and content are relevant to each other (1/2 page)
  • Program narrative addressing the following: (2-3 pages)
    • Expected high-impact learning outcomes
    • Pre-departure lectures, meetings, readings, etc.
    • Experiential education opportunities on-site
    • Intercultural activities on-site
    • Estimated budget per student using a 10-student minimum
  • Proposed syllabus for the program and proposed daily calendar of classes, excursions, etc.
    • First full day on-site must be set aside for program orientation
    • Last day on-site must include group debrief and open discussion with students on program positives, negatives, suggestions for future programs and written assessment
  • Sustainability plan for minimum of 3 years
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Letter of endorsement from department Chair and Dean

Deadline: May 31st

Please send electronic copies of the Grant Application Documents to AVP International Affairs, Bill Holmes bill.holmes@wright.edu by 5:00pm May 17th.

All travel must take place between August 1 & December 21, 2019 as coordinated between the winning faculty member and the UCIE.

 

Selection criteria

The UCIE will review applications with an eye to viability, sustainability, integration of the location with academics, health & safety concerns and, importantly, potential for the intercultural growth of participants. The result of each grant must be a viable and sustainable Ambassador Program with a topic relevant to the broadest range of WSU students possible. Winners will be notified by June 7th.

Faculty winning this award must agree to:

  • Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification at UCIE expense
  • Attending intensive program leadership orientation
  • Developing the itinerary in cooperation with the AVP of International Affairs to integrate pre-departure orientation, on-site orientation and modern student behavior management techniques