INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK (IEW),
NOVEMBER 14-18, 2005:
RECOGNIZING YOUTH AND UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS

Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
November 18, 2005

2005/1083

As a part of the ongoing International Education Week (IEW), November 14-18, the U.S. Department of State recognizes all those who are currently participating in an international youth or undergraduate exchange program. Exchange programs are a critical element of our efforts to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other nations.

For the 2004-05 academic year, over 190,000 American undergraduate and graduate students studied at nations outside of the United States. In addition, there were more than 565,000 foreign undergraduate and college students studying in the United States. Over 2,500 students are currently participating in U.S. Department of State sponsored secondary school and undergraduate international exchange programs.

Examples of current U.S. government youth and undergraduate exchange programs include:

· The YES (Youth Exchange and Study) program, which provides scholarships for secondary students from countries with significant Muslim populations;
· The FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) program, which provides scholarships for secondary students from Eurasian countries;
· The CBYX (Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange) program, which provides scholarships for American and German secondary students, jointly funded by the German Bundestag and the U.S. Congress;
· The PLUS (Partnerships for Learning Undergraduate Studies) program, which provides scholarship for undergraduate students from countries with significant Muslim populations; and
· The Gilman program, which provides scholarships to American undergraduate students from sector that have been traditionally underrepresented in international education exchanges.

The U.S. Department of State has encouraged its program participants to take an active role in International Education Week. Thousands of exchange program participants across the country are making presentations about their home countries and cultures in their communities and in their classrooms this week.

In its sixth year, IEW is a global event. During the week, students, educators, and community leaders and our Embassies participate in a wide range of activities to recognize and celebrate the benefits of internationalism in our classrooms and our educational systems. For more information on IEW, including a worldwide list of events, please visit www.iew.state.gov/.