PORTLAND, Maine — The Council on International Educational Exchange has donated $20 million to help double the number of U.S. college students who study in other countries.
The Portland-based organization, CIEE, runs study-abroad programs for about 35,000 students each year. About 100 students from Maine used the program last year.
Less than 300,000 U.S. students, or about 10 percent, study abroad each year and the donation to the Generation Study Abroad Initiative, started earlier this year, aims to double that number by 2019.
David Fougere, CIEE’s chief operating officer, said in a statement that there are lifelong benefits for college students who attend classes in other countries.
“The ability to move comfortably among cultures makes a difference between college graduates landing a job and finding a path to lifelong career satisfaction,” Fougere said.
The group announced the $20 million donation this week and plans to present more information on its participation in the Generation Study Abroad initiative during its annual conference next week.
In addition to scholarships and grants, CIEE said it will also sponsor passports for 10,000 students and make an annual $20,000 grant to college faculty to develop new ways to integrate study-abroad programs into courses.
Allan Goodman, president and CEO of the Institute of International Education, which launched the Generation Study Abroad initiative, said the contribution from CIEE will have a significant impact on “expanding and diversifying the population of students who have the opportunity to study abroad.”