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 studying 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 runs from May 20 through July 1, 2007. Additional scholarships will be offered to students who elect to continue their studies for a longer-term one-semester reciprocal exchange. 

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

An information session describing the program is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. in 410 Ag Hall.  

Scholarships and summer program applications are available by contacting Dr. David Henneberry at 139 Ag Hall. Additional information about the program is available from the program’s website, the Office of International Programs in Agriculture, 139 Agricultural Hall, 744-4398; the UPAEP Liaison Office, 204 Watkins Center, 744-5342; or 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 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 program's principal investigator.

The IFSA Foundation was established to promote international education by financially assisting U.S. colleges and universities in supporting 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.”