St. Mary's College of Maryland has been selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable up to 25 Pell-eligible first-year SMCM students to obtain their first U.S. passport and open the pathway to study abroad. In its fourth year, IIE awarded 51 institutions in the IIENetwork membership for this opportunity, the largest cohort to date.
"We are excited about this grant and to announce that we are going to be able to double its impact when the program is launched at SMCM in the fall of 2024," said Aurora Margarita-Goldkamp, director of international education. "SMCM's Office of International Education and the Division of Inclusive Diversity, Equity, Access and Accountability (IDEAA) will be collaborating to match the IIE grant, to assist in funding 50 students overall for their first-time passports."
A key program under the IIE Center for Access and Equity, the IIE American Passport Project represents IIE’s commitment to creating access to international education opportunities and enabling equity by removing a financial barrier, thereby increasing the diversity and inclusion of students studying abroad. The IIE American Passport Project seeks to reach diverse student populations and institutions that serve students who identify within demographics underrepresented in U.S. study abroad or those who often do not obtain a U.S. passport. To date, the program has supported 176 higher education institutions in 41 states since its inception in 2021. Through the IIE American Passport Project, IIE aims to grant 10,000 U.S. students their passports by the end of this decade.
The opportunity for study abroad and other international experiences is one of three elements of the Honors College Promise and integral to the LEAD Initiative at SMCM. The Office of International Education works with students interested in study abroad and other international experiences during their education.
