UNO Students Earn State Department Scholarships to Study Abroad

Omaha – Two University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) undergraduate students were recently selected from a group of thousands to be recipients of a prestigious U.S. Department of State scholarship designed to help them study abroad.

Darcy Covert, a Spanish and French major, and Michael Owen, undeclared, are two of approximately 700 American undergraduate students from 341 colleges and universities across the U.S. to receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 toward a study abroad program in 2014. Covert will be traveling to Ecuador and Owen will be traveling to Costa Rica for the Spring 2014 semester, which beings Monday, Jan. 13.

UNO’s International Studies and Programs office will facilitate the study abroad experiences as part of our commitment to both academic excellence and international engagement.

The scholarship, which is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), was named in honor of Gilman, a 30-year veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives who retired in 2002, who recently chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee. 

“Study abroad is a special experience for every student who participates,” Gilman said. “Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience.  It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”

For more information or media requests, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at unonews@unomaha.edu or by phone at 402.554.2129.

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The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s metropolitan university. The core values of the institution place students at the center of all that the university does; call for the campus to strive for academic excellence; and promote community engagement that transforms and improves urban, regional, national and global life. UNO, inaugurated in 1968, emerged from the Municipal University of Omaha, established in 1931, which grew out of the University of Omaha founded in 1908. 

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) mission is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange that assist in the development of peaceful relations. In an effort to reflect the diversity of the United States and global society, ECA programs, funding, and other activities encourage the involvement of American and international participants from traditionally underrepresented groups, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities.  Artists, educators, athletes, students, youth and rising leaders in the United States and more than 160 countries around the globe participate in academic, cultural, sports, and professional exchanges.  For more information about ECA programs, initiatives, and achievements, visit http://eca.state.gov.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas.  An independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1919, the Institute is the world’s most experienced global higher education and professional exchange organization.  IIE has a network of 19 offices worldwide working with more than 1,200 member institutions and over 6,000 individuals with a commitment to the internationalization of their institutions.  IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government and private sources. These programs include the Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowships administered for the U.S. Department of State.  The Institute is a resource for educators and institutions worldwide (http://www.iie.org), publishing the Open Doors Report and operating www.IIEPassport.org and www.studyabroadfunding.org  search engines for study abroad program and study abroad scholarships.  For more information, please contact Lindsay Calvert, Assistant Director, Gilman International Scholarship, at 832-369-3481 or lcalvert@iie.org.