NAFSA, America’s foremost international education body, yesterday announced the recipients of the 2012 Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalisation. The awards recognise education institutions for efforts in internationalisation in areas such as campus practice, structures, philosophy and policy.
Five universities were recognised for their approaches to campus internationalisation including College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University, Juniata College, Northern Arizona University, San Francisco State University and the University of Michigan.
A further three were spotlighted for a specific programmes or initiatives contributing to internationalisation, including Providence College, the University of Arizona and Washington and Jefferson College.
The awards recognise efforts in areas such as campus practice, structures, philosophy and policy
The awards bear the name of a Democratic senator from Illinois, who until his death in 2003 campaigned for better access to international education in the US among other issues. He is the inspiration for the Paul Simon Act, a bill being considered by congress which aims to increase US numbers studying abroad to 10 million a year within 10 years through, to be incentivised through a competitive grant system.
The eight winners will be recognised at a ceremony in Washington DC in November 2012, as well as being profiled in this year’s Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities – a NAFSA report on successful models of internationalisation.
