A promotional example for the Summer 2022 3-week program in Denmark.
International Academic Program’s (IAP) Global Gateway (GG) launched in 2014 with a goal to provide access to study abroad experiences for lower income students who are less likely to study abroad than their higher resourced peers. Building upon successful cohorts, in 2018 IAP sought out the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) as a new strategic partner to assist with an expansion of the program. The partnership provided alignment between the two groups: GG providing a conduit for lower income students to study abroad while securing key faculty to lead programs and OSFA to provide that funding as well as lend their expertise to evaluating income based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Since 2018, GG has provided approximately 170 students with the opportunity to study abroad and OSFA has provided over $1M in funding. Students who study abroad in one of our three summer sites receive full funding for their program and fellowship stipends are also available at $5,000 for up to five students per semester. The magic behind the scenes includes Dan Gold (IAP) running an application, Lo Klink (OSFA) consulting on financial aid, Heidi Johnson (OSFA) reviewing student-specific budgets, and Judy Humphrey (IAP) providing all the logistics on awarding amounts per student site.
The students are truly what makes GG great. Their involvement in pre- and post-program engagements highlight their shared experiences and demonstrate the Wisconsin Idea in which they contribute to a global community. One scholar noted, “Having Global Gateway on my resume helps employers know that I value diversity and an inclusive environment…During my time abroad, I gained leadership skills, lessons in cultural competency, and a new global perspective.” Over 80% of GG scholars report that the program helped them increase their adaptability and flexibility, and improved their ability to understand and navigate cultural and geographic differences. You can continue to explore student and faculty testimonials, current and past program blogs, and featured news: www.go.wisc.edu/gateway-impact .
As many units faced challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw GG in hiatus during summer 2020. However, through are partnership, we committed to providing a funding opportunity for these scholars to use $5,000 to study abroad at any point during their remaining time at UW–Madison. These students were also welcome to apply for GG in future sites which resumed in 2021 with a domestic program in Washington D.C. Summer 2022 has us coming back to more of a pre-pandemic state in which we are planning on two sites: Washington D.C. and Denmark.
This is a partnership that is a model for how to departments can work together on strategically aligned goals. Stewardship for this program is easy because of the involvement of IAP and the unique students who participate in GG. Helen Faith, Director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, summarizes the importance of this work, “The Office of Student Financial Aid is pleased to partner with Global Gateway to support access to study abroad programs, which have a transformative impact on students’ intellectual growth and development. We are committed to removing financial barriers to students’ participation in these powerful learning experiences.”
