CIEE and Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions Applaud College Presidents for Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship Grants

The Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) would like to recognize the 18 leaders of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) who have demonstrated their commitment to democratizing study abroad by matching CIEE’s $1500 grant to their qualified students who applied for the prestigious Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship.

The following leaders are changing lives by increasing access to study abroad:

• President Roslyn Clark Artis,  Benedict College
• President Joseph I. Castro, California State University, Fresno
• President Framroze Virjee, California State University, Fullerton
• President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, Central State University
• President Vincent Boudreau, City College of New York
• President Henry Tinsdale, Claflin University
• Chancellor James A. Anderson, Fayetteville State University
• President José Luis Cruz, Lehman College 
• President Rudolph F. Crew, CUNY Medgar Evers College
• President Eduardo J. Padrón, Miami Dade College
• President David Thomas, Morehouse College
• President David Wilson, Morgan State University
• President Ann McElaney-Johnson, Mount Saint Mary College
• President Michael Sorrell, Paul Quinn College
• President Laurel Vermillion, Sitting Bull College
• President Patricia McGuire, Trinity Washington University
• Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis, University of Illinois, Chicago
• President Makola M. Abdullah, Virginia State University

The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, named in honor of Frederick Douglass, the renowned African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, international best-selling author, and international statesman, covers all program and travel costs for 10 outstanding MSI students each year to participate in a summer study abroad program focused on leadership and intercultural communication. The third cohort of Frederick Douglass Global Fellows will study in London during the summer of 2019.

This year, a record-breaking number of students from nearly 100 exceptional colleges and universities applied for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship and ALL qualified students who completed their application but were not chosen as Fellows will still receive a $1500 grant from CIEE toward a 2019 summer study abroad program. In addition, for students from the 18 institutions that are matching the CIEE grant, the total support will be $3,000.

“The additional financial support pledged by these MSI presidents will enable dozens more students to participate in a transformative international experience, just as Frederick Douglass did in 1845 when he traveled to London, Dublin, and Scotland,” said James P. Pellow, President and CEO of CIEE. “I wish to thank each of these exemplary college presidents for their generosity and vision in promoting international education for their students. Their actions are changing the face of study abroad.”

Launched in 2017, the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship is just one example of how CIEE and CMSI are working to increase diversity in study abroad by breaking down the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture that prevent students from participating in international education experiences that can positively impact their lives and futures.

--Updated June 25 to reflect participation by additional institutions--