Who are we?
Welcome to the Study Abroad & Away office in the College of Professional and Global Education (CPGE) at San Jose State University. CPGE’s mission is to provide access to relevant educational programs that allow individuals to gain knowledge and skills to create a solid foundation for them to be engaged and productive members of a global society. We are committed to internationalizing our campus in order to cultivate an environment of diversity and inclusion, and to graduate students who are prepared to live and lead in an increasingly globalized world. Our vision is to develop global citizens – students, scholars, and alumni who are deeply cognizant of living in a connected and interdependent world. In support of this mission, we offer 350 study abroad programs around the world.
We are proud of our robust offerings to enable every Spartan to participate in an immersive global experience before they graduate from SJSU. However, we know that many of our historically underrepresented minority students are unable to bridge the required expenses associated with such value-added experiences. While students can use their financial aid to cover much of the normal educational expenses such as tuition and housing, we know that many of our students are simply unable to pay for expenses that are not covered by financial aid.
We are aware of the growing need to create leadership development opportunities for students who participate in our study abroad programs to further engage in the university’s internationalization goals. Now that borders are opening up again, we are seeing a growing desire for students to engage globally. We are preparing to launch our Global Ambassadors leadership development program which is now offered in the Spartan Leadership Opportunities Catalog offered by the Division of Student Affairs.
Why are we raising money?
We need help to launch three new initiatives inspired by the social justice-mindedness of our former Dean, Dr. Ruth Huard.
- Equity & Inclusion Scholarships: We plan to offer scholarships to incentivize historically underrepresented minority students to participate in any of our 350+ study abroad program opportunities around the world. We especially want to help offset some of the expenses that are often required, but are either not covered by their financial aid assistance or due before aid is applied. These expenses can include required program or housing abroad deposits, student visas, international insurance coverage, and others.
- DACA Students Abroad: We want to level the playing field for DACA students who have an additional required $575 filing fee for the UCSC Form I-131: Application for Travel Documents, which enables them to participate in international education programs and be able to return to the U.S. We want to subsidize this expense to reduce the financial barrier and enable them to participate in a global experience like every student at SJSU.
- Global Ambassadors Leadership Development: As we recover from the pandemic which greatly impacted global education, we are preparing to launch a new Global Ambassador leadership development program. We want to provide programming funds for current and former study abroad students to engage in the internationalization goals of the university.
How can you help?
You can help the internationalization goals of the university by donating to our fundraising goals. While we’ve set an ambitious goal of raising the initial fund of $5,000 on Giving Tuesday, we know that the more funds we can raise beyond that will go directly to supporting our Global Spartans. Please consider supporting the global mission of our university.
