The U.S. Department of State awarded the Terry College International Business Programs a grant that enables the college to establish a project-based study abroad program in Uruguay.
The $33,000 grant is part of the U.S. Department of State Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program. Terry College is one of 37 U.S. colleges and universities to receive an IDEAS grant this year to expand American student mobility overseas.
“We chose to focus the grant on Uruguay because it’s an underserved study abroad location with interesting business sectors,” said Jennifer Chapman, director of Terry’s International Business Programs. “We’re trying to get students to think outside the box about where they study abroad. We’ve had a few students intern in Uruguay, but we’ve never done an undergraduate faculty-led program there.”
Chapman and the international business team will use the grant to develop a network of businesses and alumni for students to work with while in the country and establish connections with local universities and cultural and civic institutions.
In addition to the new location, the course format will be unique among the college’s 14 programs. Students will work on consulting projects for Uruguayan firms in Athens before traveling to gather on-the-ground information and make final presentations to their clients during winter break. The first project-based study abroad program in Uruguay in is planned for fall 2025.
“In many of our graduate level and MBA study abroad courses, students participate in case-based learning before their trips,” Chapman said. “They complete a project for a company or a group of companies and then travel to present their findings. The IDEAS grant will enable us to do the same with undergrad students.”
This program will stress developing cross-cultural business skills needed in today’s business environment and active learning before and during the students’ time in Uruguay.
Since 2016, the IDEAS Program has awarded 216 grants to 205 institutions in 49 U.S. states and territories to establish, expand, and broaden their U.S. study abroad programs in more than 95 countries across all world regions. In addition to the IDEAS grant competition, the program also offers opportunities for international educators at U.S. colleges and universities to participate in free virtual and in-person study abroad capacity-building activities.
“The U.S. Department of State is proud to support these U.S. colleges and universities as they build capacity for more American students to study abroad in diverse locations around the world,” said Heidi Manley, chief of USA Study Abroad. “Increasing the number of U.S. students with international experiences is part of our investment in ensuring that our country’s future leaders have the skills they need in fields ranging from global health to technology and innovation,”
This year’s IDEAS projects include activities such as developing new international partnerships, training faculty and staff, internationalizing curriculum, engaging students in study abroad, and creating virtual and hybrid exchanges. IDEAS grants will support programming to 36 destinations worldwide, including Botswana, Croatia, Indonesia, Nepal, Tunisia and Uruguay. For a full list of 2024 IDEAS grantees and information on upcoming IDEAS webinars and workshops, please visit www.studyabroadcapacitybuilding.org.
For further information about other study abroad resources and exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, contact ECA-Press@state.gov and visit here.