What relationship will the new scholarship have with existing federal grant programs for study abroad?
The legislation notes the importance of existing programs, such as J. William Fulbright Educational Exchange Program and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (Section 2 (15)), and states that funding for the Foundation should be in addition to funding for those programs (Section 11(a)(2)). The Gilman study abroad program, which provides scholarships to Pell grant recipients, and the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which emphasizes less commonly taught languages and advanced language learning, are small, but important programs and should continue. The Simon legislation proposes a much different program, which will not only provide financial support to the students who need it to study abroad, but will also help institutions to provide more opportunities for students to study abroad by addressing on-campus barriers that currently inhibit study abroad participation.
