Update on CIEE's Pledge to Do More for Racial Equality and Social Justice - June 2023
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In summer 2020, CIEE pledged to do more to help our country and our world overcome systemic racism and injustice. We pledged to take concrete action, and to track, measure, and share our progress. As we approach the third anniversary, we’re pleased to share our progress on our pledge to do more.
Below is an update on our diversity and inclusion initiatives focused on people, programs, and participants.
PEOPLE
CIEE Expands Diversity in Domestic Workforce to 34%
CIEE believes that our staff should represent the communities in which we live and work, as well as the students whom we serve. We pledged to expand our domestic workforce to include at least 30% people of color by 2026 and at least 50% people of color by 2031.
We did it.
As of May 2023, our U.S. and Canadian staff is 34% people of color!
We extend our appreciation to our dedicated human resource team, our committed managers who sought out the very best talent worldwide, and to many of you, who referred highly skilled professionals to CIEE.
CIEE’s Launches Second Cohort for Management Trainee Program
As part of our pledge, CIEE set a goal of investing in the development of professionals from diverse backgrounds whose career advancement can often be hindered by lack of access to proactive mentors, diverse role models, and formal training programs.
We’re doing it.
We are currently recruiting the second cohort for CIEE’s professional development program to augment our efforts to hire, develop, and retain talent, particularly those from backgrounds who have historically been underrepresented in the field. Participants are matched with mentors, attend professional development workshops, and rotate through different divisions at CIEE.
Meet the first cohort of participants in CIEE’s Rotational Development Program in this video.
If you’re attending NAFSA, swing by booth #524 to meet with Stacy Benjamin, Director of Professional Development, to learn more about this program.
CIEE Completes First Year of Funding for the Ping Taylor Professional Fellows
Named to honor the iconic American educator and former chair of CIEE, Dr. Charles Ping, and the founder of AIFS, Sir Cyril Taylor, the Ping Taylor Grant provides $100,000 over the next three years for higher education administrators and faculty to attend international education conferences.
Thus far, the grant has funded three cohorts of professionals in the field of international education, the first attended Diversity Abroad’s Global Inclusion Conference in San Francisco and the second the Forum on Education Abroad Conference in Seattle. The third cohort, who will use their grant to attend the 75th Annual NAFSA conference, includes:
- Bemni Amsalu, International Program Advisor, Xavier University
- Andrea Ruffoni Semidey, Assistant Director, University of Miami
- Yijie (EJ) Ren, Education Abroad Advisor, University of Maine
- Allison Carruthers, Learning Abroad Advisor, University of Houston
- Kim Longfellow, Assistant Director of Off-Campus Programs, St. Lawrence University
CIEE and AIFS are particularly grateful to NAFSA for their generous support of the Ping Taylor Professional Fellows, as they offered a complimentary registration for an award recipient.
The application for the next cohort of Ping Taylor Professional Fellows will open in June.
PROGRAMS
Frederick Douglass Global Fellows Preparing for Three-Continent Comparative Study of Social Justice
CIEE’s leading program designed to create change agents for peace and progress, the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, will begin July 6 when the 2023 Frederick Douglass Global Fellows embark on a three-continent global journey that will take them to Washington, D.C., Cape Town, Dublin, and Belfast for a comparative study of the social justice leaders instrumental in building historic bridges to peace, including Americans Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, South Africans Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu, and Irishmen Daniel O’Connell and John Hume.
It was Irishman Daniel O’Connell, known in the 19th Century as the Great Liberator, who greatly influenced Douglass’ style of leadership, expanding his lens to address all forms of social injustice and reinforcing Douglass’ commitment to agitating for positive social change through non-violent social and political efforts. Nearly two decades after their meeting in Dublin in 1845, Douglass would be credited with influencing President Lincoln’s commitment to social justice, helping to pave the way for Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. One hundred years later, Dr. Martin Luther King would deliver his powerful “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, connecting the perpetual march of social justice leaders like O’Connell, Douglass, and Lincoln to the 20th Century work to advance civil rights.
The 2023 Frederick Douglass Global Fellows will study the intersection of leadership styles, influence, and techniques that advanced social justice in America, South Africa, and Ireland. The Fellows will explore how they, as tomorrow's leaders, can follow in the footsteps of past changemakers and take up their unfinished work of creating a just, equitable, and peaceful world.
As Vice President Kamala Harris said to the 2021 Fellows in advance of their journey to Ireland, “you will go as you are and return as you aspire to be.” We look forward to helping pass the baton of social justice leadership to the 2023 Frederick Douglass Global Fellows.
CIEE Partners with the African American Irish Diaspora Network (AAIDN) to Create the AAIDN/CIEE Intern Scholars in Ireland Program
The AAIDN/CIEE Intern Scholars in Ireland Program will provide a life-changing opportunity for Scholars to explore their heritage, provide international business experience, and polish tangible work skills that will aid them in their future career.
In this inaugural year of the program, three exceptional African American college students will attend CIEE’s Summer Global Internship in Dublin program that includes an eight-week work placement, housing, and a three-credit academic course. During the students’ eight-weeks in Ireland, CIEE will provide the academic and work experience for each intern, while AAIDN will provide each student with a stipend to offset travel and living expenses.
The students selected for the first cohort of AAIDN/CIEE Intern Scholars in Ireland are:
- Mia Douglas, Benedict College, Mass Communication and Media Studies
- Dapria Fell, Delaware State University, Mass Communication and Media Studies
- Jayla Vyent, Sacred Heart University, Psychology
PARTICIPANTS
More than 50 Students of Color Studying Abroad this Summer Using Frederick Douglass Scholar Grants
To provide more students with the chance to study abroad, CIEE awarded all qualified applicants to the 2023 Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship a $1,500 Frederick Douglass Scholars Grant that can be applied to any CIEE study abroad program through Summer ‘24.
51 students of color are using their Frederick Douglass Scholars Grant to study abroad during Summer ’23 and nearly 60 more have expressed interest in utilizing their grant in the future!
CIEE Passport Caravan Returns
Access to necessary documents (like a passport) is often cited as a barrier to pursuing international opportunities, especially for students from backgrounds that are typically underrepresented in study abroad. Earlier this year, CIEE partnered with Arizona State University (ASU) and Indiana University to host Passport Caravan events on campus, providing free, on the spot passports for students at each school.
When Passport Caravan visits a campus, CIEE arranges for passport agents to be present to help process the applications of students who applied and were approved to receive a United States passport.
Started as part of CIEE’s Generation Study Abroad pledge, CIEE’s Passport Caravan has funded passports for more than 10,000 students around the country, making it easier for them to pursue the life-changing experience of international education and develop skills critical for success in an interconnected and interdependent world.
It has been nearly three years since we pledged to do more as an organization to make the world a more equitable, peaceful place. Thank you to our many partner schools and organizations who have joined us in our ongoing efforts to make a positive difference. Together, we will keep making progress in this important work.