NAFSA Calls On Congress To Support Visionary Study Abroad BillSimon Act Proposes Innovative Public-Private Partnership
On February 25, 2009, the day after President Barack Obama urged Congress to join him in making education a cornerstone of the nation's efforts to "build a new foundation for lasting prosperity," Senators Dick Durbin (D - Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R - Miss.) introduced the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2009 (S. 473).
The legislation calls for the creation of an innovative national program to build the country's intellectual capacity and economic competitiveness by dramatically expanding opportunities for American college students to gain a global education. It is nearly identical to legislation that enjoyed strong bipartisan support and public momentum in the 110th Congress and was one step from passage when the session ended in December.
The Simon Act stresses the critical importance of preparing America's college students with the foreign language skills and cross-cultural competencies and sets out the goal that in ten years' time, one million American undergraduate students, fully representative of the college demographic, will study abroad annually on quality programs in locations across the globe, particularly in the developing world.
Foreign policy experts and business leaders have long stressed the need for more Americans with foreign-language skills and an in-depth understanding of global cultures and issues. Students themselves recognize the need to gain international skills in order to become the "360-degree graduates" that today's employers are looking for. Yet today only one percent of American college students participate in study abroad programs each year.
NAFSA strongly supports this significant bipartisan effort to bring government, higher education, and the private sector together to ensure that the next generation of Americans is ready for life and leadership in the global age. We urge Congress to pass and fully fund the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act. As of March 5, 2009, the Simon Act has 25 cosponsors.
List of cosponsors:
Sen Akaka, Daniel K. [HI]
Sen Baucus, Max [MT]
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM]
Sen Bond, Christopher S. [MO]
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH]
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD]
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA]
Sen Cochran, Thad [MS]
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT]
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA]
Sen Levin, Carl [MI]
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT]
Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. [AR]
Sen Murray, Patty [WA]
Sen Pryor, Mark L. [AR]
Sen Reed, Jack [RI]
Sen Reid, Harry [NV]
Sen Roberts, Pat [KS]
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT]
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY]
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI]
Sen Voinovich, George V. [OH]
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI]
Sen Wicker, Roger F. [MS]
To cosponsor the legislation, please contact Lexi Saudargas (224-4428) in Senator Durbin's office or Sarah Drake (224-6253) in Senator Wicker's office.
The Simon Study Abroad Act: Frequently Asked Questions
View Bill text (202 kb PDF)
NAFSA Brief: The Public Policy Benefits of Study Abroad An Innovative Public-Private PartnershipTo administer the program, the legislation creates a lean, mission-driven, independent government foundation, taking a unique approach that will enable the program to meet its bold mandate through creative and entrepreneurial grant making, and to serve long-term foreign policy and national security needs while operating independently of short-term political and foreign policy considerations. The foundation will also be able to leverage funds through support from the private sector.
The program will provide scholarships to students and encourage higher-education institutions to address the on-campus factors that most heavily impact study abroad participation - curriculum, faculty involvement, institutional leadership, programming - by making a commitment to institutional reform a prerequisite for the receipt of federal funds.
It is this leveraging of institutional reform that is the key to the success of the program. The opportunities for public-private collaboration built into the program's vision will create a critical multiplier effect and make it possible to truly revolutionize study abroad in the United States - to make it an integral part of the 21st-century education of American college students.
Brief History of the LegislationThe Simon program was inspired by the late Senator Paul Simon (D - Ill.), who urged Congress to take action in an area he believed was crucial to the future of the United States: to ensure that the next generation of Americans is prepared with global knowledge and skills. A bipartisan federal commission known as the Lincoln Commission subsequently recommended a national effort to dramatically increase study abroad by Americans. Senator Durbin, who served on the Lincoln Commission, and Senator Coleman first introduced legislation in the 109th Congress calling for such a program.
The bill garnered strong bipartisan support in the last Congress, including that of then-senators President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and was one step from passage when the session ended in December 2008. Dozens of higher-education and exchange organizations have endorsed the Simon Act, and thousands of constituents from across the country have sent letters to Congress urging its passage. S. 473 builds on the momentum created in the last Congress and brings us closer to realizing Senator Simon's vision.
Policy Brief is a periodic electronic information resource for policy news and analysis on international education issues.
About NAFSA
NAFSA is the world's largest membership association dedicated to international education. With nearly 10,000 members, the association seeks to increase awareness of and support for international education and exchange in higher education, government, and the community, believing that citizens with international experience and global awareness are crucial to U.S. leadership, competitiveness, and security. 