The Division of Continuing and Global Education awarded international travel grants to 175 Fresno State students who are studying abroad this summer. Each student receives $1,000 to reimburse travel expenses associated with their programs.

“We are delighted to be able to provide funding for our students who are participating in international study programs this summer,” said Russel Statham, manager of administration and global operations for Continuing and Global Education. “These study experiences provide valuable international context for our students and we are committed to helping as many students as possible achieve their educational goals.”

Owen Bethke, a junior majoring in business management, is one of the travel grant recipients. He travels to Spain this summer for a three-week University Studies Abroad Consortium program.

“To experience and immerse myself within a different culture will be very humbling, as I have never before traveled outside of the United States,” Bethke said. “This travel grant is a great opportunity for students to get funding for their travels. It is awesome that Fresno State, with contributions from Continuing and Global Education, is able to give students scholarships in order to promote studying abroad.”

Last summer, 120 students participated in study abroad programs and 106 received grants, funded by Instructionally Related Activity fees. Each Fresno State fee-paying student contributes approximately $30 to the grant fund each semester. These funds are distributed to various programs, events and projects in which students participate through an application process. This summer, every student who applied for a grant to study abroad received an award.

The 65 percent increase in awards this year was made possible by additional funds generated by CGE’s passport acceptance facility. The Passport Place within CGE accepts United States passport applications and charges the same processing fee as the U.S. Postal Service. Since its opening in May 2012, more than 1,500 faculty, staff, students and community members have used Passport Place services.

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