APLU Discusses Study Abroad at White House Meeting

APLU President Peter McPherson joined NAFSA President Marlene Johnson and others at a White House meeting on advancing “100,000 Strong in the Americas,” an initiative focused on expanding educational opportunity and exchange between the people of the Americas.

The roundtable discussion, which coincided with “Cinco de Mayo” (May 5, 2014), laid out President Obama’s plan to bring 100,000 students to the United States to study each year, while also increasing the number of Americans studying abroad in the Western Hemisphere to 100,000.

McPherson emphasized APLU’s support for incentive grants to colleges and universities to leverage institutional commitment to study abroad. Such grants would allow institutions to expand study abroad through innovative partnerships and collaboration, removing on-campus barriers to study abroad, and diversifying and integrating opportunities for all students, regardless of their major or socio-economic status, to study abroad.

The group also discussed how the private sector is playing an increasingly important role by investing in international education. By working together with private sector and academia, we can continue building to scale an exchange program that draws on the unparalleled attributes of our colleges and universities, while ensuring that our educational initiatives help develop the skills that can lead to employment and increased competitiveness.