Belmont University has been recognized by the Institute of International Education (IIE) for meeting their Generation Study Abroad commitment goals. IIE launched Generation Study Abroad (GSA) in 2014, a five-year initiative to provide a space for the international education community to mobilize resources and make a commitment to increasing and diversifying the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade.
Belmont received the IIE Seal of Excellence for its strategic commitment to the Generation Study Abroad initiative and achieving its institutional goal of increasing the number of U.S. students studying abroad from campus by 2020. Belmont’s goal was for 1000 students to study abroad each year by 2020, and the University reached this goal in 2019.
GSA Commitment Partners joined the initiative by committing to bold, ambitious actions in support of study abroad on their campuses or at their organizations. The campaign became a global movement, forming the 800+ strong GSA Commitment Partner network representing a variety of U.S.-based and international partners, including national governments, higher education institutions (HEIs), study abroad organizations, education associations and more. More than 800 institutions submitted goal commitments.
With the IIE Seal of Excellence, IIE annually has recognized the U.S. institutions that have met their GSA pledge goals helping to make study abroad more accessible and inclusive for all students. During IIE’s final evaluation of the initiative conducted in 2020, Belmont was one of only 19 U.S. institutions that identified as having achieved their pledged goals – joining a total of over 100 institutions that have received the IIE Seal of Excellence.
In the recently published report, A Commitment to Building a Global Generation: The Five-Year Impact of IIE’s Generation Study Abroad Initiative, IIE highlights key programmatic efforts and partner achievements, including these outstanding institutions, framed by an analysis of data collected over the life of the initiative. In addition to evaluating the impact of this initiative, it offers an opportunity to continue building on the momentum of study abroad growth from 2019.
Belmont joins 18 other U.S. colleges and universities recognized by IIE for meeting their Generation Study Abroad commitments in 2020, including Central Michigan University; Christopher Newport University; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Fairleigh Dickinson University – Metropolitan; Heidelberg University; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Howard University; Millersville University of Pennsylvania; Ohio Northern University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Stevenson University; University of Findlay; University of Kansas; University of Texas at Austin; University of Tulsa; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Wake Forest University; and William & Mary.
To learn more about study abroad opportunities at Belmont, visit the University’s study abroad webpage.
