The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Institute of International Education (IIE) invite accredited U.S. higher education institutions to submit a proposal to host a two-day U.S. Future Leaders Topical Seminar for Gilman Alumni. The seminars are part of ECA’s continued efforts to promote career readiness and leadership among Gilman Program alumni. The seminars are intended to better position alumni as future American leaders across public and private sectors, empower students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in fields of utmost national importance, and help bridge the skills gap so college graduates with in-demand global experiences and knowledge may contribute to U.S. economic prosperity and national security.
A total of three U.S. Future Leaders Topical Seminars will be offered for Gilman alumni in 2020, each focusing on a different topic (see topics below) and integrating a leadership subtheme. The seminars will be held in U.S. locations with accessibility to industry hubs of expertise. Offerors may bid on more than one topic but must submit a separate proposal for each topic and propose unique seminar content for each topic. Offers may submit up to three proposals. All proposed seminars must also integrate a leadership subtheme into the seminar content.
- Closing the Skills Gap (Business, Education, High-Tech Sectors, Human Resources, Management, Manufacturing)
- Cyber Issues (Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Technology)
- Energy and Natural Resources
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Infrastructure (Engineering, Urban Planning)
- Public Health
- Rural Economic Development and Agriculture
The U.S. Future Leaders Topical Seminars are to take place on a mutually-agreed-upon Thursday and Friday in May, June, July, August, or September of 2020. Each seminar will host approximately 50 Gilman alumni in addition to a staff member from ECA and IIE. IIE anticipates selecting three institutions across different geographic locations to host a U.S. Future Leaders Topical Seminar with a maximum budget of $60,000/seminar to cover costs outlined in Request for Proposals.
Please review the document titled Request for Proposals and the Budget Template. Please direct any questions about these documents to gilmanevents@iie.org. Proposals, including any attachments (limited to 6MB) and the cost proposal budget in Excel format, must be sent electronically to gilmanevents@iie.org by 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) on February 14, 2020 for consideration.
Request for Proposals_U.S. Future Leaders Topical Seminars
Amendment of US Future Leaders Topical Seminars RFP
U.S. Future Leaders Topical Seminars RFP Questions and Answers
Recorded Applicant Webinars
- Access Study Abroad with the Gilman Scholarship – January 18, 2018
- Applying for the Gilman Critical Need Language Award – February 8, 2018
- Meet Gilman Alumni – February 26, 2018
Recorded Advisor Webinars
- Gilman and Gilman-McCain Webinar – November 20, 2019
- Boosting Application Completion Rates – January 25, 2018
- Leveraging the Gilman Scholarship to Build Community College Study Abroad – January 29, 2018
- Working with Financial Aid Offices to Promote Gilman – January 31, 2018
- Keys to Successful Applications – February 13, 2018
- Program Updates – Selection Criteria, Eligibility, Application, and Gilman-McCain Scholarship – August 23, 2019
