Greatest Growth Institutions
Campus Impact
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs honors institutions that have displayed outstanding growth in the number of Gilman awardees since 2001. These institutions are recognized for their role in broadening the student population that studies abroad overall in the institutions across the United States.
On Impact of Gilman
Small Institutions
“Spelman has been very intentional in promoting Gilman Scholarship because it is an important financial strategy for increasing access to study abroad among the under-represented students, so we are very proud of our accomplishment as a top producer of Gilman winners, year after year. In addition to supporting our mission to engage students with the many cultures of the world, students gain intercultural skills that are needed to be successful in a competitive global society.”
Dr. ‘Dimeji R. Togunde
Vice Provost for Global Education
Spelman College
“It takes support from across the campus and community. The promotions of the scholarship by our financial aid office and marketing department help demonstrate the wonderful outcomes of students and how this scholarship is achievable to make study abroad experiences a reality. Whether is notifying students of eligibility, promoting an information session or even featuring a past Gilman scholar – our campus community sees the value of the scholarship. We also have a wonderful support system of faculty members that help students craft their applications and essays.”
Sarah Barr
Director of Global Engagement
Nebraska Wesleyan University
“We prioritize the Gilman Scholarship, not only because it helps make study abroad possible for more students, but because it also helps them to reflect ahead of their time abroad on what they want to get out the experience, how they will meet the challenges they will face, and what their unique perspective on the American experience is that they can share with others. Gilman Scholars, both through word of mouth and through their follow-on service projects, are the best way to recruit new applicants. By serving as examples of successful applicants from our school and demystifying the application process, they show other students that it is possible to win competitive national-level awards.”
Lynn Evans
Director of National Fellowships & Scholarships/Class Dean
Union College of New York
Medium Institutions
“We find it useful to provide information early and often! We initiated “Gilman Fridays” where we disseminate an email blast and social media campaign every Friday during the application cycle to provide information on the scholarship process and to highlight a past GW Gilman Recipient. We hold information sessions as well as Writing Workshops with the University Writing Center to assist students in perfecting their application essays. We provide an informational video and checklist as requirements on every Pell-Grant Recipient’s study abroad application in our system. We conduct tabling events on campus to try to attract students who may not have even applied because they didn’t think they could afford study abroad. Ample information and reaching students often and early has been our main best practice in our efforts thus far.”
Kimberly Rush
Manager, Advising Services, Office for Study Abroad
George Washington University
“The Gilman Scholarship ensures that our Pell students thrive not only on our campus but also through our expansive slate of international opportunities. We treasure our Gilman top producer status because it underscores the success of our collaborative, holistic advising and commitment to all students’ success on the global stage.”
Elizabeth Lewis Pardoe
Director, Office of Fellowships
Northwestern University
“Education abroad opens many doors for our students, with an immediate and long-term positive impact on a student’s personal, professional, and academic life. Education Abroad provides transformative global learning experiences for students that support the development of the soft skills necessary to successfully achieve their career goals and become contributing members of society. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program helps NMSU students participate in an education abroad program that might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints. As a Hispanic Serving Institution with a student population of 58% identifying as Hispanic, the Gilman scholarship provides much-needed support to students often underrepresented in education abroad.”
Erica Nikolaisen
Program Manager, Education Abroad
New Mexico State University
Large Institutions
“Our undergraduate population at UC Berkeley is quite diverse. In terms of financial aid, nearly 70% of our undergraduate population receives financial aid; 37% receive the Pell grant. These numbers are reflected in our study abroad population as well. We prioritize the Gilman scholarship because it is a generous, attainable, and prestigious scholarship with an important mission to broaden the population that studies abroad, and our priority is for our study abroad population to mirror the diversity we have on our campus. We feel honored to be recognized for our engagement with the Gilman program. The Gilman scholarship has helped to make study abroad a reality for many UC Berkeley students.”
Barbara Tassielli
Assistant Director of Advising
UC Berkeley
“At the University of Oregon, we recognize that the Gilman Scholarship is one of the most important and robust scholarships available for students with high financial need. Throughout the years, the Gilman Scholarship has provided crucial funding to hundreds of UO students from underrepresented and marginalized communities who otherwise might not be able to study abroad. We believe that transformative international experiences should be accessible to all students, and we are delighted to see that many UO students have had the opportunity to study abroad in large part because of the Gilman Scholarship. It is in an honor for the University of Oregon to be named a top producing institution. The success that we have had speaks to the outstanding effort that our wonderful students put forth, to the invaluable guidance that our advisors provide, and to the UO’s commitment to building top quality global programs that prepare students for academic and professional success.”
Luis Fernando Ruiz
Assistant Director for Student Success and Analytics
University of Oregon
“The Gilman Scholarship is a vital piece of the University of Minnesota’s efforts to encourage more underrepresented and underserved students to consider study abroad. The significant amount awarded to individual students and the number of recipients selected each cycle allow students to feel that a study abroad experience is within their reach and that they have a fair chance at being selected. The Gilman Scholarship also allows for and encourages early planning, which can provide more certainty for students. We are so proud to receive the honor of being named a Top Producer. It is a reflection of the achievements of our students and the dedication level of our staff and campus partners.”
Meredith McQuaid
Associate Vice President and Dean of International Programs
University of Minnesota
Associate Institutions
“Portland Community College prioritizes the Gilman Scholarship because of the Gilman mission to inspire global thinking in students who typically could not study abroad. It is as if the Gilman Scholarship were written for community college students. The scholarship has offered many students the life altering opportunity of travel. For students who have not owned a passport, who have not travelled by airplane, who have not stepped foot outside of their state, the opportunity to see the world is mind expanding. It is an immense privilege to walk with these students in their journeys.”
Ali Garfinkle
Education Abroad Specialist
Portland Community College
“About half of our student population are First-Generation College Students and study abroad is not an experience they are particularly familiar with. Promoting the Gilman Scholarship has allowed us to increase awareness of all the international experiences available to them as well as increase Miami Dade College student participation thanks to the awards.”
Gabriela Esteves
Director, Global Student Programs
Miami Dade College
“The Gilman Scholarship has enabled our institution to increase the diversity of our study abroad students across many demographics, in alignment with our strategic goal to build an inclusive and equitable campus culture. Access to the Gilman Scholarship has given our students the courage to dream about studying abroad, something many of them might otherwise not have done. We are honored to be recognized as a Gilman Program Top Producer, but our biggest reward is seeing how the lives of our student recipients have been impacted by their experiences abroad.”
Janette Jasperson
Coordinator, International Education
Johnson County Community College