First EducationUSA Leadership Institutes Promote International Collaboration

WASHINGTON, February 9, 2015—Forty-two college and university administrators from 22 countries will participate in the inaugural round of the EducationUSA Leadership Institutes, a new initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The goal of the Leadership Institutes is to increase understanding of U.S. higher education and provide a unique opportunity for reciprocal knowledge exchange between the United States and participating countries.

The Leadership Institutes are an initiative of the State Department’s EducationUSA network, which includes hundreds of advising centers around the world that provide prospective international students with accurate, current, and comprehensive information about U.S. higher education while supporting U.S. colleges’ and universities’ international student recruitment efforts.

Each Leadership Institute consists of pre-departure virtual training sessions, a three-day orientation in Washington, DC, an 11-day academic residency, and follow-on virtual trainings for two to four months after participants return to their home country. These four components will help participants to increase their understanding of U.S. higher education and build capacity within their own educational systems and campuses. The first three EducationUSA Leadership Institutes will each host a group of 12 to 15 foreign college or university administrators or government officials, who were selected from a highly-qualified and competitive pool of applicants.

Three U.S. partner organizations received grants to develop professional development sessions on the focus topics:

  • The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) will host the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C. and will provide 12 participants with insight into both U.S. and international accreditation and quality assurance frameworks.
  • Study Colorado will host the Private-Industry Sector Linkages & Innovation Leadership Institute to provide 15 participants with an opportunity to explore the collaboration between higher education and the private sector around workforce development, R&D, and curricular reform.
  • The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will host the Campus Internationalization: Institutional Structures to Support Inbound and Outbound Student Mobility Leadership Institute to advise 15 participants on best practices for international recruitment and retention as well as the promotion of study abroad for U.S. students.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs will support a second round of three EducationUSA Leadership Institutes during 2015, for a total of six Institutes. Accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institutions, U.S. higher education associations, university systems, higher education consortia, and other qualified entities that meet provisions in IRS section 26 USC (501)(c)(3) will be eligible to apply to host the academic residency component of the upcoming EducationUSA Leadership Institutes. IIE and ECA will announce a second call for proposals in March 2015.


About the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) leads a wide range of academic, professional, and cultural exchange programs that include approximately 40,000 participants annually, including the flagship Fulbright Program and the International Visitor Leadership Program, with the goal of increasing mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. ECA also sponsors the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarships for U.S. undergraduates with financial need, administered by IIE, and the Critical Language Scholarship Program in support of U.S. study abroad. The State Department’s EducationUSA network of over 400 advising centers worldwide provides information to students around the globe who wish to study in the United States. For more information on the State Department’s educational and cultural exchange programs, visit the Bureau’s database of exchange programs or the Bureau’s website.

About the Institute of International Education

The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,400 member institutions.

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