MACON – Mercer University is among the U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most Gilman International Scholarship recipients during the 2018-2019 academic year.
“Mercer’s recognition as a top producer of Gilman Scholars proves that our students overachieve against our peer institutions, demonstrating not only the caliber of our students but also the quality of our faculty and staff,” said Mercer Provost Dr. D. Scott Davis. “I’m extremely proud of this award, and I congratulate everyone involved with the process.”
Each year, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces the top producing institutions for the Gilman International Scholarship Program at the Diversity Abroad Conference. The scholarship program enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to the national security and economic prosperity of the U.S.
A total of 13 Mercer students earned recognition from the Gilman Program during the award year of 2018-2019. An additional 34 students received Gilman or Gilman-McCain scholarships in 2019-2020.
“The Gilman and Gilman-McCain scholarships are perfectly aligned with Mercer University’s mission to change the world one student at a time,” said Dr. David A. Davis, associate professor of English and director of fellowships and scholarships. “These scholarships allow students with high financial need to participate in study abroad programs and Mercer On Mission, allowing them to broaden their perspectives, develop new skills and address global needs. These experiences have a transformative effect on the students, and the students have a transformative effect on the world.”
“By supporting our students in their quest to achieve a Gilman or Gilman-McCain scholarship, we are ensuring that a study abroad opportunity exists for every Mercer student,” added Dr. Julie Strecker, director of international programs and the English Language Institute. “I am grateful for the collaborative efforts of my Mercer colleagues to raise student awareness and guide student success.”
The Gilman Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. The program provides more than 3,000 scholarships a year to outstanding American undergraduate students who, because of financial constraints, might not otherwise study abroad. Since its establishment in 2001, more than 31,000 Gilman Scholars from all U.S. states and territories have studied or interned in 151 countries around the globe.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of State’s Gilman-McCain Scholarship provides awards of $5,000 for undergraduate child dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs. This scholarship is a congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and named after the late senator John S. McCain from Arizona.
“We are proud to honor the colleges and universities who have made the 2018-2019 Gilman top producing institutions list. The Gilman students from these institutions are among our current and future global leaders, and we know their future work will contribute greatly to U.S. national security and people-to-people ties,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce.
The Gilman competition is administered at Mercer through the Office of International Programs and the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships. For more information contact August Armbrister, study abroad advisor, at armbrister_aj@mercer.edu.
