Proposal Seeks to Improve America’s Image Abroad: Legislation would lessen financial barriers that prevent low-income, minority students from participating in foreign exchange programs.
Minority-serving institutions (MSI) and members of Congress are making a final push for legislation to draw more low-income and minority students into foreign exchange programs and bring more students from developing countries to the United States.
“There is an urgent need to improve America’s image abroad,” says Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness. One goal of the Uniting Students in America proposal is to increase participation in study abroad programs to at least 1 million college students per year, a four-fold increase from the current level of 223,000.
The proposal would focus on this goal by creating a new U.S. government-sanctioned corporation that would raise private sector funds and offer competitive grants to universities, consortiums and individuals. The foundation would be named for former Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., a champion of higher education who died in 2003.
