University Times

Pitt's University Center for International Studies (UCIS) has received a $75,000 grant from the National Security Education Program (NSEP) for a one-year research project on participation in international education by underrepresented groups.

The UCIS proposal, submitted last year, was one of six from U.S. institutions of higher education recently given grants by NSEP. The grants are for international education initiatives that focus on less-commonly studied regions of the world.

The UCIS project, titled "Access International Education: Resources on Underrepresented Groups in International Education," is designed to help overcome curricular constraints affecting student participation in study and work opportunities abroad, to disseminate innovative models of overseas study and language/cultural knowledge acquisition to institutions of higher education, and to create informational aids for department advisers and faculty. Led by Wolfgang Schlsˇr, associate director of UCIS, the project will focus on underrepresented racial groups (African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics), underrepresented disciplines (engineering, math, and computer sciences) and students with disabilities.

The project is intended to produce an initial data survey form and preliminary data analysis of existing programs aimed at increasing participation in international education by underrepresented groups; a literature survey and annotated bibliography; a searchable on-line database of programs and projects; a student guide to opportunities and resources for underrepresented groups, and a list of frequently asked questions for parents.

The project builds on an existing effort at UCIS, Access International Education (AIE), an on-line database of projects and programs on underrepresented groups in international education, accessible at: www.ucis.pitt.edu/aie NSEP has awarded 59 institutional grants totaling $17.6 million to international education initiatives that focus on less-commonly studied regions of the world.