Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act
The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act is an initiative based on the belief that no education today is complete without a global experience. It is also based on the vision of the late Senator Simon that on a national scale such experiences would, "lift our vision and responsiveness to the rest of the world."
| Current Status of the Bill |
 Senator Durbin announced that he is planning to reintroduce the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act, and will need our help when he does.
Sign up at Connecting Our World to be among the first to know when the legislation is reintroduced.
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A generation ago, there was a national concern that students without access to computers would fall behind their peers and be at a competitive disadvantage in seeking jobs; the same could be said today of students without access to global educational opportunities. At a time when access to higher education has become top national priority, attention must also be given to the quality of education provided, which in today’s global economy, must include an international element. Nearly three-fourths of Americans surveyed in a recent poll commissioned by NAFSA said they believed that America's higher education institutions must do a better job of teaching students about the world if they are to be prepared to compete in the global economy.
Study abroad opportunities are effective in helping students develop practical skills that complement classroom learning, including foreign language fluency, improved problem solving, analytical skills, tolerance for ambiguity, and cross-cultural competence. Recent studies also show a positive correlation between students who study abroad and higher grade point averages and degree completion rates. Currently, however, only about one percent of all college students have access to study abroad each year.
The Legislation
The concept of the legislation is based on the vision of the late distinguished Senator Paul Simon and the recommendations put forth by the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program.The legislation establishes a program to significantly expand study abroad participation through a competitive grant model that encourages institutions to promote and sustain a culture across campus in which study abroad is considered an integral part of a college education. The program will require institutions to collaborate in ways that leverage both knowledge and resources to incentivize changes that increase access to study abroad for U.S. students.
The specific goals of the program created by the Simon Act are to:
- Have one million U.S. students studying abroad each year within the next ten years.
- Encourage diversity in student participation in study abroad.
- Diversify locations of study abroad, particularly in non-traditional countries.
- Encourage a greater commitment by institutions of higher education to expand study abroad opportunities.
Endorsements
The legislation has gained strong bipartisan support in Congress since it was first introduced in 2006, and has been endorsed by numerous higher education and educational exchange organizations.
Congressional Action
112th Congress
| November 16, 2011 |
At a policy forum on Capitol hill co-sponsored by NAFSA and Goucher College along with honorary co-host Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) reaffirmed his commitment to the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act and announced he is planning to reintroduce the legislation.
Read his remarks or watch the speech:
A Global Education: No Longer Optional
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111th Congress
| August 2, 2010 |
The Senate Appropriations Committee included $2 million in the Labor/HHS/Education FY2011 appropriations bill for the Department of Education to expand access to study abroad. The report language states, "The Committee funding level includes $2,000,000 to be made available under section 604(b) of the HEA to expand access to study abroad, with the goals of increasing study abroadopportunities among underserved student populations and expanding study abroad to nontraditional destinations, particularly in developing countries. Awards under this new program will be made available on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education individually or as part of a consortium and consistent with the recommendations of the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program."
This funding would be in addition to funding for existing international education programs such as Fulbright Hays and Title VI.
If included in the final FY 2011 budget passed by Congress for the Department of Education, this initial funding will be an important step forward in realizing Senator Simon's vision and in significantly expanding and diversifying access to quality study abroad opportunities.
View the Lincoln Commission's report .
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| June 10, 2009 |
The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410) by a vote of 235-187. This broad foreign relations bill authorizes funding for the operations of the U.S. Department of State and the Peace Corps, and includes innovative new programs like the Simon Act that enhance U.S. capacity to engage with the world.
Read a summary of all international education related provisions in the bill.
The bill will now go to the U.S. Senate.
Read NAFSA's press release.
Read Representative Berman's press release. |
| May 14, 2009 |
The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410) introduced today by U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D - Calif.). While the authorization bill's primary purpose is to authorize funding for the operations of the U.S. Department of State, it also includes innovative programs like the Simon legislation that are critical to accomplishing U.S. foreign policy and public diplomacy goals.
Read NAFSA's press release.
Read Representative Berman's press release on the Foreign Relations Authorization Act.
Senator Durbin (D-Ill.) commends Rep. Berman for including the Simon bill in the House Foreign Relations Act. Read his press release. |
| February 25, 2009 |
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2009 (S. 473) to establish a study abroad program for undergraduate students that would help build global awareness and international understanding. The bill is nearly identical to legislation that enjoyed strong bipartisan support and public momentum in the last Congress and was one step from passage when the session ended in December.
Read the press release issued by Senators Durbin and Wicker. |
Additional Resources
