Record number of Gilman Scholarships for UGA students

The Gilman Scholarship - worth up to $5,000 to apply towards study abroad program costs and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs - is a nationally competitive needs-based scholarship that aims to diversify the students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go. 2014 saw a record number of UGA students awarded the scholarships, with 10 of the 14 from the Franklin College:

Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages, and economies-making them better prepared to assume leadership roles within government and the private sector.

"UGA has a long history of students successfully winning this prestigious award, and this group of students is a great addition to that tradition," said Kasee Laster, director of education abroad at the UGA Office of International Education. "We are particularly proud of the range of subjects students will be studying."

The university worked to promote the Gilman Scholarship on campus and to help UGA students make their applications competitive, said William Smith, education abroad adviser. "This was a joint effort between the Office of International Education, Multicultural Services and Programs, the Office of Institutional Diversity and other units around campus to make this opportunity known to our underrepresented populations in study abroad," he said. "This is just the beginning and we look forward to doubling our numbers next year."

With as much emphasis as we use to highlight the utility of the study abroad experience, these scholarships from the State Department are very important. Aagin, for funding the learning experience as well as the prestige of winning the scholarship itself. Very well done. Congratulations to these students.