The Oklahoma State University School of Global Studies and Partnerships is pleased to announce that the Embassy of France has awarded the OSU Study Abroad/National Student Exchange program a $15,000 grant as part of the Transatlantic Friendship & Mobility Initiative. The initiative’s goal is to strengthen the rich ties between the United States and France to diversify and increase the number of students studying in both countries by 2025.

Receiving grant funding through the Transatlantic Mobility Program enables the development of an intentional cohort model designed for students in the Retention Initiative for Student Excellence program at OSU. Students in RISE are of various academic, gender and ethnic backgrounds. Participants are all freshmen, highly involved in campus clubs and organizations, academically high-achieving, and often volunteer in the community.

RISE participants must apply and be selected for the program; approximately 60 are accepted each year. One-third of students in RISE identify as African American/Black, with the remainder of the cohort comprised of predominantly Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Multiracial, and Native American students. A small number of students in the cohort identify as white, and around half identify as first-generation college students.

In partnership with the University of Limoges, a university similar in size, student demographics and organizational culture, this cohort-model project is designed to develop tomorrow’s global problem solvers by addressing barriers that push students away from participation.

Using guided and shared learning experiences, ten initial students will be introduced to French culture, language, cuisine, and entrepreneurship through a series of pre-departure virtual exchanges and home-campus activities, as well as lectures and cultural activities in Limoges and the surrounding region. For many of the cohort’s high-achieving, diverse participants, travel outside Oklahoma and family encouragement for participation are nonexistent, which is why creating a visible, sustainable cohort program is essential.

Utilizing new and existing scholarship funding sources at OSU, along with this grant, enables both universities to create a shorter, culturally immersive course that supports students who need assistance navigating the process of traveling abroad for the first time. Continued funding through existing OSU scholarships aimed at increasing underrepresented student participation in study abroad will ensure the program continues to grow toward the target of 25 students going abroad by 2025.

OSU has a long history of international engagement with a global impact. The OSU School of Global Studies and Partnerships houses OSU’s Study Abroad program and serves as a strategic and administrative center for the university’s global engagement. The school also serves as a resource to the university community for information and support in developing and assisting high-impact international experiences for our faculty, staff and students.