NC State Selected to Receive IIE American Passport Project Grant
A successful grant application led by Kyle Keith (he/him), Assistant Director of the Study Abroad Office, and Andy DeRoin (they/them), Assistant Director of the GLBT Center, has been selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable up to 25 NC State students to obtain a U.S. passport and support their study abroad journeys. In the second year of the program, IIE awarded 40 institutions with this opportunity, which will help 1,000 Pell-eligible, U.S. students obtain their U.S. passports and start their study abroad journey. This is the first time that NC State received this grant which focuses specifically on providing students from the GLBT community with a passport.
The IIE American Passport Project grant is intended to promote diversity, inclusion, access, and equity in study abroad and to support the IIENetwork, IIE’s global membership network, in their efforts to encourage students to go abroad who would otherwise not participate in an international experience as part of their college education. For students of limited means, studying abroad can require long-term planning and involve financial hurdles, like the cost of a passport, which could bar them from moving forward.
“The Study Abroad Office is strongly committed to widening access to study abroad opportunities for more NC State students,” said Kyle Keith. “We are fortunate to have so many outstanding campus partners, such as the GLBT Center, which share this commitment and are willing and eager to partner on these important projects for the benefit of our students. This award’s impact is further magnified by the U.S. Department of State’s recent announcement to include ‘unspecified or another gender identity’ or ‘X’ as an option for U.S. passport applicants moving forward.”
Through the IIE American Passport Project, IIE plans to have enabled 10,000 students to have passports by the end of this decade. Each year, IIE helps 1,000 college students obtain a U.S. passport by awarding funds to approximately 40 U.S. colleges and universities in the IIENetwork. Each institution will identify up to 25 of their first-year students, who are eligible for Pell grants.
“This award is a gamechanger for our transgender and non-binary students and their allies,” said Andy DeRoin. “There is a lot of excitement around being able to get a federal piece of identification to reflect the correct gender and more confidently travel abroad. I’m so excited for the students to receive this amazing opportunity that literally opens doors to studying abroad.”
For the 40 institutions selected, the IIE American Passport Project provides one critical piece of the multi-faceted effort needed to reach students who are traditionally underrepresented in study abroad: a passport. The selected institutions will provide innovative programming, engagement efforts, advising, and support for those students they have identified with the goal of sending them on a study abroad program during their college experience.
About IIE
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a world leader in helping people and organizations leverage the power of international education to thrive in today’s interconnected world. As a not-for-profit with 17 offices and affiliates worldwide, IIE manages 200+ programs with participants from 180+ countries. Each year, tens of thousands of people participate in IIE-managed programs. IIE collaborates with a range of corporate, government and foundation partners across the globe to design and manage scholarship, study abroad, workforce training, and leadership development programs.
The IIENetwork is the global membership network connecting more than 10,000 professionals from over 1,500 organizations to resources, including IIE’s extensive knowledge and decades of experience supporting student mobility and exchange, campus internationalization, and international partnerships.