Two bills on study abroad and foreign language learning, S.3532 and S.3502, were introduced recently by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), respectively. These bills are both indicative of the increasing recognition on Capitol Hill that it is in our national interest to educate a globally literate citizenry and also demonstrate the support of Sens. Lugar and Kennedy for study abroad.

NAFSA will continue to advocate for legislation that would authorize and fund a national study abroad program of the scope envisioned by the late Sen. Paul Simon, the Lincoln Commission, and in NAFSA’s own task force report, Securing America’s Future, a Global Education for a Global Age.

We will continue to seek legislation that would:

• greatly increase the number of U.S. undergraduate students studying abroad in high-quality programs each year
• diversify the study abroad population to more closely reflect the demographics of the overall undergraduate population
• increase the number of students studying abroad in nontraditional locations

No grassroots advocacy is needed at this time, but members are encouraged to sign up for NAFSA’s Advocacy Centered Team (ACT) to be the first to know when legislation implementing such a program is introduced.

View S.3532

View S.3502