Global Learning Access Grant
We believe that global learning should never be a logistical hurdle or a luxury; it should be an accessible standard for every student, regardless of their major’s complexity or their ability to travel.
By funding the "architects" of our curriculum—our faculty and academic advisors—we are clearing the path for students and removing both the physical and academic barriers to internationalization. Through this grant, we support professionals who aim to foster a campus environment where global engagement is the standard, not the exception.
This grant focuses on two primary modalities of facilitating global learning:
- Eliminating Academic Barriers (Global Curriculum Mapping): This award supports the detailed alignment of international partner curricula with specific departmental and major requirements, to create clear, pre-approved pathways and ensure student confidence in uninterrupted progress to degree.
- Eliminating Physical Barriers (Virtual Collaboration & COIL): We recognize that travel is not the only path to global fluency. This grant supports Virtual Global Collaboration (including COIL) and other tech-enabled models that actively engage on-campus students with the world beyond our boundaries and funds the development of virtual exchange modules utilizing digital platforms or software to facilitate at-home global experiences.
Timeline |
Call for Proposals
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Application Deadline
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Award Notification
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Preparing to Apply
Award Amount:
Up to $3,000 per grant for program expenses (e.g., travel for site development, instructional materials, or partnership cultivation).
Matching Requirement:
A minimum $500 departmental/college match (cash transfer or documented expenditure) is required.
- Full-time faculty (e.g., tenure-track, A/P, collegiate, or long-term lecturers).
- Academic advisors (specifically for those with primary responsibility for curriculum mapping and transfer credit evaluation).
Proposals will be evaluated based on four core pillars:
- Innovation: The creativity and effectiveness in integrating global experiences into the home curriculum whether through direct 1:1 mapping of international curricula or the integration of virtual, tech-enabled global learning.
- Impact: The degree to which the project removes degree delay as a barrier while bringing global engagement experiences within students’ reach. Priority is given to projects in credit-heavy majors with rigid sequencing and those that maximize the total number of students reached.
- Accessibility: A commitment to creating flexible pathways for all learners. This includes utilizing universal digital tools and asynchronous options to accommodate diverse student schedules, logistical commitments, or financial constraints, ensuring participation regardless of a student's ability to travel.
- Sustainability: The readiness of the department to adopt these changes long-term. This requires a clear plan for departmental integration, training for colleagues, and a strategy to ensure that curriculum mapping remains accurate and viable over future academic cycles.
Application Sections
Applicant Details:
- Name
- College
- Department
- Contact information
Financial Transfer:
Departmental E&G fund number for the award transfer.
(3-4 Pages Max). Applicants should address the following five areas in their proposal:
Academic Integration:
Explain how this project integrates global experiences into the home curriculum. How do the proposed international courses or virtual modules fulfill specific departmental requirements?
Implementation:
Provide a clear timeline for the fiscal year, indicating the Design Phase and the Launch Phase.
Sustainability:
Detail the plan for long-term departmental adoption. How will academic advisors be kept current on new offers to guide students? Provide a strategy for maintaining accurate mapping or frequent virtual offerings across future academic cycles to ensure the project endures beyond the initial grant period.
Letter of Support:
From the Department Head/Dean confirming matching funds and academic alignment.
Maximum Length:
Three (3) pages (excluding Letter of Support).
Submitting:
Submit as a single PDF to Marielle Wijnands with "Program Development Grant" in the subject line.
After-Action Report
Recipients are expected to submit a 2–4-page after-action report to GEO within 60 days of project completion with the following information:
Budget:
Recipients are required to submit a report on fund expenditure
Results:
A list of the specific courses now mapped for credit and the majors they serve or the virtual modules successfully delivered.
Confirmation that the department and advisors are ready to use these new pathways moving forward.