On Sept. 25, the University was awarded a Freeman Foundation Grant to the Center for Global Leadership within the School of Business. 

The bestowal of such a grant which will allow for the expansion of student internship opportunities in East and Southeast Asia. The grant is set to provide scholarships for 80 students through the Spring of 2020. The University asserts that “securing funding from The Freeman Foundation has been truly transformational for the university, and more importantly, for our students who could not otherwise afford this life-changing opportunity.” 

University students will now be presented with the chance to be immersed in the Shanghai International Business Internship Program in Asia, the Global Citizens Program in Singapore, as well as new internship opportunities in Indonesia and Cambodia, which will be unique to students in the College of Engineering. 

Kim Cahill, Director of the Center for Global Leadership, reflects her belief in the myriad of benefits that will be ushered in with such opportunities.“Students will experience a new culture and professional environment that will enhance their abilities and challenge their world perspective, and they will create a vast network of professional contacts that will prove invaluable in our increasingly interconnected world,” she said.

In this past summer of 2017, 29 students successfully completed internships in Asia, a significant spike from the 13 students in the summer 2014. The University reports, “our summer internship programs in East and Southeast Asia have grown significantly since 2014, the year prior to receiving funding. The Summer IB Internship Program in Shanghai has grown by 138 percent while the Summer Service Learning Program for Engineers in Cambodia and Indonesia exploded by 300 percent in that same period. Receiving additional funding will allow us to leverage the incredible momentum that the previous awards have generated.” 

The University’s announcement comes at a very crucial time in which studying and interning abroad in East and Southeast Asia will provide exposure to some of the world’s most dynamic economies, grounds for a truly enriching experience both educationally and culturally.