New scholarships will help undergrads go international

A new International Scholars program offers overseas research funding for 10 undergraduates each year, with the possibility of additional funding for a senior-year capstone project. It’s all part of the internationalization of Brown.
By TAB staff  |  September 4, 2008  |  Email to a friend

An ongoing effort to make the University a model for global undergraduate education – part of the second phase of the Plan for Academic Enrichment – received a boost with the announcement this week of a new opportunity for undergraduates, the Brown International Scholars Program. Ten scholarships of $5,000 will be awarded each year to support a summer international research project, academic-year faculty mentoring, and eligibility for a $1,000 grant to cover senior capstone project expenses.

Nesiah: Integrating time abroad into undergraduate concentrations.: Nesiah: Integrating time abroad into undergraduate concentrations. “This program seeks to ensure that a student’s time abroad is more deeply integrated into her or his academic experience,” said Vasuki Nesiah, director of international affairs. “It is a pilot initiative that will serve as the first step in Brown’s larger effort to undertake greater pedagogic responsibility for overseas experiences.” 

Through intensive faculty mentoring and overseas research, students supported by International Scholars funding will be better able to incorporate global themes into their coursework. 

“We all know that being well traveled is not the same as being worldly,” noted Vice President for International Affairs David Kennedy. “Our students need to dig deep, rooting themselves in a field, a culture, an archive, a place. Then they will be ready for the world.” He added that the new scholarship program will increase study-abroad opportunities that are already in high demand. “Brown students have a powerful appetite for study abroad programs, and the University offers a range of excellent opportunities,” Kennedy said. The scholarships, he added, will help connect such experiences more explicily to students’ progress in their concentrations.

The Office of International Affairs, Nesiah said, created the scholarship program in collaboration with Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron, Director of International Programs Kendall Brostuen, and the staff of the Swearer Center, with input from a number of students who have studied overseas during their undergraduate years at Brown.

Applications for the scholarships are due October 15.