[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3744 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3744
To establish the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 26, 2006
Mr. Durbin (for himself and Mr. Coleman) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Act of
2006''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) According to President George W. Bush, ``America's
leadership and national security rest on our commitment to
educate and prepare our youth for active engagement in the
international community.''.
(2) According to former President William J. Clinton,
``Today, the defense of United States interests, the effective
management of global issues, and even an understanding of our
Nation's diversity require ever-greater contact with, and
understanding of, people and cultures beyond our borders.''.
(3) Congress created the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln
Study Abroad Fellowship Program in section 104(a) of Division H
of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108-
199). Pursuant to its mandate, the Commission has submitted to
Congress and the President a report of its recommendations for
greatly expanding the opportunity for students at institutions
of higher education in the United States to study abroad, with
special emphasis on studying in developing nations and
nontraditional study abroad destinations.
(4) Studies consistently show that United States students
score below their counterparts in other advanced countries on
indicators of international knowledge. This lack of global
literacy is a national liability in an age of global trade and
business, global interdependence, and global terror.
(5) By numbers ranging from 77 to more than 90 percent,
Americans believe that it is important for their children to
learn other languages, study abroad, attend a college where
they can interact with international students, learn about
other countries and cultures, and generally be prepared for the
global age, according to a December 2005 national survey
conducted by Lake Research Partners and the Tarrance Group.
(6) In today's world, it is more important than ever for
the United States to be a responsible, constructive leader that
other countries are willing to follow. Such leadership cannot
be sustained without an informed citizenry with much more
knowledge and awareness of the world than most Americans tend
to possess.
(7) Study abroad has proven to be a very effective means of
imparting international and foreign-language competency to
students.
(8) In the 2003-2004 academic year, an estimated 16,910,000
students were enrolled in United States postsecondary
institutions, yet only 191,321, representing approximately 1
percent of those students, studied abroad for academic credit,
according to the National Center for Education Statistics and
the Institute of International Education, respectively.
(9) Less than 10 percent of the students who graduate from
United States institutions of higher education with bachelors
degrees have studied abroad.
(10) Far more study abroad must take place in the
developing countries. Ninety-five percent of the world's
population growth is anticipated to occur outside of Europe in
the future. Yet in the academic year 2003-2004, 61 percent of
United States students studying abroad studied in Europe, and
46 percent studied in the 4 countries of the United Kingdom,
Italy, Spain, and France, according to the Institute of
International Education.
(11) Study abroad helps to build mutual understanding among
nations and serves to promote national leadership in the United
States, international effectiveness, and economic
competitiveness by helping to create a globally literate
citizenry.
(12) The Senate designated 2006 as the Year of Study
Abroad, raising awareness of the importance of study abroad.
(13) To complement such worthwhile Federal programs as the
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program and the
National Security Education Program, a broad-based
undergraduate study abroad program is needed that will
democratize study abroad and make opportunities of study abroad
accessible to all undergraduate students, regardless of their
field of study, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or gender.
(14) A majority of barriers to study abroad are due to
institutional policies at the campus level, according to a
report of the Strategic Task Force on Education Abroad issued
by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
(15) To make study abroad an integral part of undergraduate
students' education, regardless of field of study, ethnicity,
socio-economic status, or gender, institutions of higher
education should address institutional barriers that stand in
the way of study abroad.
(16) According to the Institute of International Education,
the percentages of African-American, Asian-American, and
Hispanic-American students among individuals studying abroad
are extremely low and underrepresentative of the numbers of
those students in the general student population.
(17) The majority of students who study abroad are students
in the social sciences, humanities, and foreign languages,
while students who major in engineering, mathematics, computer
science, or education are underrepresented in study abroad
programs. Within the total enrolled United States undergraduate
population, approximately 10.7 percent of United States
students majoring in business have studied abroad, 8 percent of
United States students majoring in engineering have studied
abroad, and 5.9 percent of United States students majoring in
education have studied abroad.
(18) Recognizing that the international scope of scientific
research in United States institutions of higher education and
government facilities is often conducted by foreign-born
scientists, the effectiveness of their work will be greatly
enhanced by United States researchers who have similarly spent
time studying abroad.
(b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act--
(1) to encourage not less than 1,000,000 undergraduate
students in United States institutions of higher education to
study abroad for academic credit within 10 years of the date of
enactment of this Act; and
(2) to establish an Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program
that--
(A) reflects the demographics of the United States
undergraduate population, including undergraduate
students in technical and scientific fields of study;
(B) ensures an increasing portion of study abroad
takes place in nontraditional study abroad
destinations, with a substantial portion of such
increases taking place in developing countries; and
(C) is accessible by students at diverse types of
institutions of higher education, including 2-year
institutions, minority-serving institutions, and
institutions that serve nontraditional students.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(2) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
serving institution'' means--
(A) a part B institution, as defined in section 322
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061);
(B) a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in
section 502(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)); or
(C) another school that traditionally serves a
racial or ethnic minority, as determined by the
Secretary after consultation with the Secretary of
Education.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of State.
SEC. 4. ABRAHAM LINCOLN STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to establish and carry
out an Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program to facilitate the
participation of undergraduate students in study abroad for academic
credit. The program shall consist of the following:
(1) Fellowships for undergraduate students.--
(A) Fellowships.--From amounts made available under
section 5(1), the Secretary shall award fellowships to
undergraduate students to enable the students to study
abroad for academic credit.
(B) Designation.--Fellowships awarded under this
paragraph shall be known as ``Lincoln Fellowships''.
(2) Grants to institutions of higher education.--
(A) In general.--From amounts made available under
section 5(2), the Secretary shall award grants to
institutions of higher education--
(i) to enable the institutions of higher
education to award fellowships to undergraduate
students to enable the students to study abroad
for academic credit; and
(ii) for the reform of academic programs
and institutional policies that inhibit
participation by students in study abroad.
(B) Designation.--Grants awarded under this
paragraph shall be known as ``Lincoln Institutional
Leverage Grants''.
(C) Limitation.--Each institution of higher
education that receives a grant under this paragraph
shall use not less than 85 percent of the grant funds
to award fellowships to students under subparagraph
(A)(i).
(b) Fellowship Award Rules.--The Secretary shall ensure that--
(1) fellowships awarded under subsections (a)(1)(A) and
(a)(2)(A)(i) reflect the demographics of the United States
undergraduate population; and
(2) there is an annual increase in the number or percentage
of fellowships awarded under subsections (a)(1)(A) and
(a)(2)(A)(i) for study abroad taking place in nontraditional
study abroad destinations, with a substantial portion of such
increase taking place in developing countries.
(c) Program Development and Implementation.--The Secretary shall,
to the extent practicable, consult with nonprofit and private
organizations with experience in programs involving study abroad for
academic credit, in establishing and carrying out the Abraham Lincoln
Study Abroad Program.
(d) Coordination With Other Federal Study Abroad Activities.--The
Secretary may integrate the activities assisted under this section with
other undergraduate study abroad activities supported by the Department
of State, the Department of Education, and the Department of Defense.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such
sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008 and for each of the 4
succeeding fiscal years, of which--
(1) 25 percent of such sums shall be available to carry out
section 4(a)(1) for each fiscal year; and
(2) 75 percent of such sums shall be available to carry out
section 4(a)(2) for each fiscal year.
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