OSU Receives Study Abroad Grant To promote study of agriculture in Mexico

Friday, January 19, 2007

The Institute for Study Abroad Foundation has awarded Oklahoma State University a $90,000 grant over the next three years to promote the study of agriculture and natural resources in Mexico.  

The funding provides scholarships to qualified students to cover most of the cost for a five-week intensive Spanish language immersion program at the Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla in Puebla, Mexico, followed by a one-week field experience in the surrounding region.  

Seven $2,500 scholarships are available for the summer program, which is scheduled from May 20 through July 1, 2007. Additional scholarships will be offered to students from the summer program who elect to continue their studies for a longer term one-semester reciprocal exchange.

The goal of the program is to encourage students to study abroad for longer periods by first providing a structured short-term experience, then offering a semester long option that provides greater cultural immersion, according to Gerry Auel, coordinator of the OSU Student Abroad Office.

An information session describing the program is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8, in 410 Ag Hall at 7 p.m.  
Applications for the scholarships and summer program are available by contacting Dr. David Henneberry at 139 Ag Hall or e-mailing David.Henneberry@okstate.edu. Additional information about the program is available from the program’s website, from the Office of International Programs in Agriculture, 139 Agricultural Hall, 744-4398; from the UPAEP Liaison Office, 204 Watkins Center, 744-5342; or from the Study Abroad Office, 060-G Student Union, 744-8569.

Applicants must have completed 45 hours of academic credit and hold a 2.5 GPA. Scholarship recipients must enroll in six credit hours of AG 3080 Intensive Spanish Language Program for Agribusiness Managers. Applications and supporting documents should be submitted to Dr. Henneberry by Feb. 15.  

Staff and faculty from the College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources and the Office of International Programs in Agriculture collaborated with the School of International Studies and its Study Abroad Office to develop the proposal which was submitted in September. Henneberry is the director of International Programs in Agriculture and is designated as the principal investigator for the program.

The IFSA Foundation was established to promote international education by providing financial assistance to U.S. colleges and universities to support undergraduate study abroad. The foundation favors proposals that promote semester and year-long study academically integrated with recognized universities abroad, providing “scholarship aid to extend opportunities, particularly to underrepresented groups….and support for innovative projects designed to broaden the scope of the undergraduate study abroad experience.”