Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization

The 2009 Senator Paul Simon Award Competition is now open. To nominate your institution, complete the Internationalizing the Campus nomination form and submit it by E-mail along with your essay.

Download Nomination Form (70kb

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Through its Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, NAFSA: Association of International Educators recognizes institutions for overall excellence in internationalization efforts as evidenced in practices, structures, philosophies, and policies. Announcing a special opportunity for your institution to be recognized for its work in international education.

Nominate your institution for the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. To read more information, tips, and essays of previous recipients, view the nomination criteria.

Recipients of the Senator Paul Simon Award will be profiled in the 2009 edition of Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, a NAFSA report on successful models of campus internationalization. In this sixth report showcasing colleges and universities doing outstanding and innovative work in international education, NAFSA will profile up to five institutions selected to receive the Simon Award.

In addition, up to three campuses will be selected for program/area spotlights describing specific institutional aspects of strength and innovation in the internationalization arena.

2008 Simon Award Winners for Campus Internationalization

Goucher College
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Pittsburg State University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Valparaiso University

2008 Spotlighted Schools

Colorado State University
Miami Dade College
Webster University

NAFSA's Annual Campus Internationalization Report

Each year NAFSA develops Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, a report on international education in the United States. Profiling institutions selected to receive the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, the report cites exemplary practices, model approaches, and major trends, describing the current state of international education on U.S. campuses.

Learn more about the report

View selected institutions

Read about, purchase, and download sample copies of the reports

About the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization

The Simon Award not only brings recognition to the selected institutions, it also honors the career of an outstanding statesman. The late Senator Simon of Illinois served his state and the nation as a strong voice for civil rights, prison literacy, peace initiatives and international education. He was a strong advocate throughout his career for international education, using his positions on various committees in the Senate to advocate for exchange. His leadership in this area was especially evident in his robust support, along with Senator David Boren, for the creation of the National Security Education Program, which addresses critical national security deficiencies in language and cultural expertise.

In the months preceding his untimely death in December 2003, Simon had been working diligently to persuade the federal government to support a new initiative that would create education abroad fellowships for U.S. students because he placed a tremendous importance on the ability of this country's future leaders to know and understand the broader world outside its borders. Simon's vision for this program was ambitious, with a goal of sending 500,000 U.S. students to study abroad each year for a semester or summer term. In his forward to NAFSA's 2003 task force report on education abroad, Simon noted, “If we want to improve our nation and the world, we must be willing to sacrifice a little. This major national initiative and the recommendations of [NAFSA's] Strategic Task Force on Education Abroad can lift our vision and responsiveness to the rest of the world.” This fellowship effort has survived him and is moving forward.

    Support for the Internationalizing the Campus report has been provided
    by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S.
    Department of State, under the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961,
    as amended.