Illinois State University has been selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable up to 25 Illinois State students to obtain a U.S. passport and support their study abroad journeys. In this third year of the program, IIE awarded 48 institutions in the IIENetwork this opportunity, which will help up to 1,200 Pell-eligible, U.S. students obtain their U.S. passports and start their study abroad journey.
Study Abroad Advisor Carla Shanley, who submitted the application on behalf of Illinois State University, expressed the team’s delight in being a recipient of this grant. “Our team is excited and grateful to provide students an opportunity to secure a passport without a financial barrier,” Shanley said. “This is the first stepping stone to exploring cultures different from our own, which can have a lifelong impact.”
As a key initiative under IIE’s newly launched Center for Access and Equity, the IIE American Passport Project represents IIE’s commitment to create access to international education opportunities and enable equity. For this program, IIE is removing an initial financial barrier for many—the cost of a U.S. passport—thereby supporting the diversity and inclusion of students studying abroad. Through the IIE American Passport Project, IIE aims to empower 10,000 U.S. students with their passports by the end of this decade.
Executive Director of the Office of International Engagement Dr. Roopa Rawjee shared in the Study Abroad team’s sense of pride in being selected for this award. “The Office of International Engagement is firmly committed to the values of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” Rawjee said. “I am so proud of our Study Abroad team and excited to advance internationalization at ISU.”
In addition, the grant is intended to support the IIENetwork, IIE’s global membership association, in assisting students from their respective campuses to go abroad who would otherwise not participate in an international experience as part of their college education. The program prioritizes first-year students, with limited financial means, for whom this may be their first passport and makes global learning abroad a greater possibility with an earlier start. The awarded institutions will couple the grant funding with their engagement and outreach, advising, programming, and additional support for the students they have identified for this program.
