Today, NAFSA: Association of International Educators announced that seven U.S. universities and colleges, including several minority-serving institutions, have been selected to receive a 2024 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. Named after the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, the awards celebrate outstanding commitment and accomplishment in campus internationalization.
“I am pleased to recognize such a diverse and dynamic group of institutions for integrating international education into their teaching, partnerships, systems, culture, and student success models,” said Fanta Aw, NAFSA executive director and CEO. “With minority-serving institutions, large land-grant universities, and a community college district counted among this year’s winners, these institutions demonstrate that the principles and practices of internationalization thrive within a variety of structures, geographies, and student populations. We commend these colleges and universities for their exemplary work in advancing the intercultural skills of their students, faculty, and staff in today’s dynamic landscape.”
The Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization recognizes excellence in integrating international education throughout all facets of university and college campuses. The 2024 Comprehensive Award recipients are:
- Alamo Colleges District (San Antonio, Texas)
- Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama)
- Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, California)
The Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award recognizes a specific program or initiative that contributes to internationalization on campus. The 2024 Spotlight Award recipients are:
- Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
- Program: Afghan Family Project
- Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York)
- Program: International Student Success Model
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, Massachusetts)
- Program: Global Projects for All initiative
Institutions selected for the Simon Awards will be featured in NAFSA's annual report Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, to be published this fall, and honored during NAFSA’s 2024 Annual Conference & Expo this spring. To learn more about NAFSA’s Senator Paul Simon Awards, visit nafsa.org/SimonAward.
Sample Tweet: Congrats to the 2024 NAFSA #SimonAward winners! @AlamoColleges1, @AuburnU, @PVAMU, @ucsc, @okstate, @SyracuseU and @WPI are setting the standard for excellence in internationalizing U.S. campuses & broadening students’ understanding of the world. nafsa.org/SimonAward
About NAFSA: Association of International Educators - Serving more than 10,000 members and international educators worldwide, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. Visit us at www.nafsa.org/press. To learn more about our advocacy efforts on behalf of international education, visit www.nafsa.org/takeaction. Resources to guide our members on these issues can be found at www.nafsa.org/reginfo.