Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization
NAFSA is pleased to announce the five recipients of the 2012 Senator Paul Simon Awards for Comprehensive Internationalization and the three recipients of the 2012 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Awards:
| 2012 Comprehensive Award |
2012 Spotlight Award |
- College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University
- Juniata College
- Northern Arizona University
- San Francisco State University
- University of Michigan
|
- Providence College
- University of Arizona
- Washington and Jefferson College
|
Read the press release
Through its Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization, NAFSA: Association of International Educators recognizes institutions for overall excellence in internationalization efforts as evidenced in practices, structures, philosophies, and policies. NAFSA's Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award is presented to institutions for a specific innovative program or initiative that contributes to comprehensive internationalization.
Recipients of the 2012 Senator Paul Simon Award will be recognized at a special ceremony in Washington, DC, in November 2012. They will be profiled in the 2012 edition of Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, a NAFSA report on successful models of comprehensive internationalization. In this tenth report showcasing colleges and universities doing outstanding and innovative work in international education, NAFSA will profile the five institutions which received the Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization and three campuses which received the Simon Spotlight Award.
The annual Simon Award competition offers a special opportunity for your institution to be recognized for its work in international education. Nominate your institution for a Senator Paul Simon Award. Learn more about how to nominate your institution.
NAFSA's Annual 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.
Read about 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 Paul 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.
Learn more about the award.
