CIEE and BMCC Celebrate First Year of Leading Change in Study Abroad

In an event today at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), CIEE and BMCC celebrated the one-year anniversary of their Leading Change in Study Abroad partnership. Just one year after receiving a $1 million Leading Change in Study Abroad grant from CIEE, BMCC has sent more than 152 students – many first-generation, Pell-eligible, and from underrepresented backgrounds – to study or intern abroad in destinations from Berlin and Kyoto to Cape Town and Paris. 

Plus,18 BMCC faculty have led programs abroad for BMCC students in the last year, thanks in part to the training in immersive international programs they received at a specialized professional development workshop held earlier this year at CIEE Monteverde.

BMCC is one of four institutions nationwide selected for CIEE’s $4 million Leading Change in Study Abroad initiative, alongside Arizona State University, Northeastern, and UC San Diego. Each institution matched CIEE’s $1 million investment, creating a combined $8 million fund to expand student access to global experiences and measure how study abroad can strengthen enrollment, retention, and career outcomes.

President Anthony E. Munroe has invested CIEE’s $1 million Leading Change in Study Abroad grant to drive significant institutional change through a comprehensive, college-wide approach to global programs as he strives to transform BMCC into the nation’s leading community college for shaping globally minded and prepared graduates who are ready to serve their communities locally, nationally, and internationally.

At today’s event, students and faculty who went abroad thanks to this partnership shared the impact of the experience on their lives, and President Munroe and James P. Pellow, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE shared their thoughts on the progress of the initiative and how it can serve as a role model for other two- and four-year colleges. 

“Much has been written lately about the lack of leadership today at America’s colleges and universities,” said Dr. Pellow. “At the Borough of Manhattan Community College, strong leadership is evident at every level, from the president and his senior team, to scores of faculty across all disciplines, to student leaders, age 19 to 29. BMCC is overflowing with strong leaders striving to realize their vision to make BMCC the most globally connected two-year college in America.”