Loyola Marymount University has established the LMU Gilman Incentive Grant for Study Abroad to provide funds that will increase access to study abroad. The $2,000 grant will be awarded to students who submit a Gilman Scholarship application and may be used toward an LMU Study Abroad semester, summer, or academic year program.
“Gilman awards nearly 3,000 study abroad scholarships annually, yet only a handful of eligible LMU students apply,” said Cassidy Alvarado, director of National and International Fellowships. “This new LMU grant will not only encourage more Lions to apply, but by working with ONIF to submit a polished application we believe students may receive additional Gilman funding for their study abroad plans.”
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables American undergraduate students with high financial need to study or intern abroad through scholarships of up to $5,000. The program has successfully broadened U.S. participation in study abroad, while emphasizing countries and regions where fewer Americans traditionally study.
LMU Study Abroad and the Office of National and International Fellowships, under the leadership of Vice Provost Roberta Espinoza of Global-Local Affairs, teamed up to create the Gilman Incentive Grant to connect students with high financial need to an international education experience. Undergraduate LMU students who receive federal Pell grants and work with ONIF to submit the Gilman Scholarship application will qualify. The first grants will be awarded in the summer 2023 term.
“LMU’s American Council on Education Internationalization Laboratory recommendations emphasized promoting and providing equitable access for global learning opportunities, and the GIG will further reduce barriers for high need students,” said Espinoza. “Reducing the barriers to study abroad helps increase the number of LMU students who engage in global learning and facilitates participation by students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in this transformative, high-impact educational practice.”
In addition to supporting the ACE Lab recommendations, increasing access to study abroad touches on multiple strategic plan spotlights, including learning for justice, inclusion, and transformation, and integrative and interdisciplinary thinking.
“We are thrilled to announce this new funding initiative and want to encourage students to participate,” said Lisa Loberg, director of Study Abroad. “This grant is yet another way that LMU is supporting students and making global learning experiences more accessible.”
To learn more about the GIG or the Gilman Scholarship, visit ONIF’s website or attend a Zoom information session on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
