International organizations encouraged graduate students to apply for grants and scholarships during a panel discussion yesterday in an effort to increase the number of students who study abroad.
Thousands of dollars in funding are available to graduate students who apply, said representatives from funding organizations like the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the Rotary Foundation, said Georgia Ehlers, coordinator of internships and community engagement for the graduate school administration.
According the a report released earlier this month by the Institute of International Education, the UA ranked No. 25 in its population of international students.
But the university was unranked among peer institutions in how many students study abroad.
Emily Wakefield, a Fulbright spokeswoman, said the Fulbright Hays grant is good to apply for because it is specifically funds research for people who must collect data from other countries.
The Hays Grant allows you to set your own budget, and the odds of receiving it are good as long as the applicant has a project worth doing, Wakefield said.
“”Once you get the grant, they basically give you the money and say, ‘Go do the research,'”” Wakefield said.
The Rotary Club offers an ambassadorial scholarship that would be ideal for people early in their careers, said Rotary spokeswoman Susan Meyers.
“”The benefit is that it’s pre-dissertation, so you won’t necessarily have to have a degree,”” Meyers said.
Students who travel abroad through the Rotary Club would be assigned to a host club in a foreign city, Meyers said.
Jeffrey Witzel, a linguistics graduate student who works with the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes, said students also have the opportunity have a summer job working in a lab in East Asia and the Pacific area.
Applicants must be studying science and can end up in places like Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan, Witzel said.
“”Anything you can call a science is fair game,”” Witzel said. “”As long as you put together a reasonable proposal and make contact with a host institution, you will go a long way.””
Last year, about 80 U.S. citizens used the EAPSI to travel to Japan, Witzel said.
Holly Lawson, a special education graduate student, said the Foreign Language and Areas Studies scholarship recipients have an advantage when trying to apply for the larger scholarships like the Fulbright or Rotary Club.
“”It is not a tremendously competitive grant,”” Lawson said. “”It’s given within the UA, and not very many people study the languages the grant requires.””
FLAS offers a $15,000 stipend to students willing to study the language specified by the program, Lawson said. Students can study one year on campus, or a summer in another country for a minimum of six weeks.
“”The goal is six weeks of intensive language study,”” Lawson said. “”You’re completely immersed in a foreign language.””
