USF World News
USF Education Abroad Earns Two Prestigious Distinctions for International Education
(L to R) Alan Goodman, President of the Institute for International Education; Amanda Mauer, Director of USF Education Abroad; Ralph Wilcox, USF Provost and Executive VP; Kiki Caruson, Assistant VP for Research, Innovation, and Global Affairs; Roger Brindley, System VP of USF World
Last month, USF received not one, but two awards for its commitment to study abroad. After accepting the 2019 Institute of International Education (IIE) Andrew Heiskell Award for Access and Equity for its Education Abroad Inclusion Initiative, the USF Education Abroad Office (EAO) was also awarded the IIE Generation Study Abroad Seal of Excellence. This seal celebrates institutions who have met its goal to increase study abroad participation.
USF was selected from 1,300 eligible colleges and universities to receive the Access and Equity award, given in recognition of innovative programs and services that ensure study abroad and international programming are accessible and equitable for a broader student population.
“I am incredibly proud of this achievement,” said Amanda Maurer, Director of the EAO. “Our Education Abroad team’s commitment to student access and success played a significant part in USF receiving the Heiskell Award. I am also honored to work for a university that would invest so significantly to support those students with the highest need.”
USF and Broward College represented Florida at the 2019 IIE Summit.
Since 2014, the Education Abroad Inclusion Initiative has worked to increase participation by students who are traditionally underrepresented in credit bearing international experiences. USF study abroad programs include students of color, transfer and working students, and Pell Grant-eligible students. As a result, the initiative has generated a 34 percent increase in study abroad participation by Hispanic students, a 49 percent increase in participation by multi-racial students and a 55 percent increase in black student participation. Overall, study abroad enrollment in credit-earning programs has increased by 53 percent over this same time period.
The Heiskell Awards were presented at the 2019 IIE Summit in New York City, February 17-19, 2019. Along with Mauer, Dr. Ralph Wilcox, USF Provost and Executive Vice President, Dr. Roger Brindley, USF System Vice President for USF World, and Dr. Kiki Caruson, Assistant Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Global Affairs, accepted the two awards. USF’s partner and fellow Floridian institution Broward College was also recognized at the summit with the 2019 IEE Andrew Heiskell Award for International Partnerships. USF was the only U.S. university to win multiple awards.