ASU Secures $20,000 Grant to Expand International Partnerships in Latin America

SAN ANGELO, TX - Angelo State University has been awarded a $20,000 Strategic Internationalization Grant from the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC) for a new project to develop international studies partnerships with universities in Central and South America.

Awarded through the TIEC's Texas International Education Fund, the grant will fund ASU's project titled "Rumbo al Mundo!" (Heading to the World!). The goal of the project is for the ASU Center for International Studies to forge partnerships with universities in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Peru that align with ASU's vision as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).

These partnerships will encourage students at those universities to come to ASU as exchange students and increase Hispanic representation among the international student population on campus. For the 2023-24 academic year, only three of ASU's 219 international students came from Spanish-speaking countries. Additionally, the partner universities will be new destinations for ASU students to participate in exchange programs and study abroad trips.

The ASU project will be directed by Marissa McShane, foreign national faculty coordinator, and Janie Soupiset, field experience advisor in the College of Education.

"This grant will significantly benefit Angelo State by fostering greater cultural exchange on our campus," Soupiset said. "For international students, it will provide enhanced access to resources and opportunities, while our current students will gain valuable cross-cultural experiences and perspectives on campus and abroad. By building strong, sustainable partnerships with universities in Latin America, we aim to enrich the academic and social environment at ASU, ultimately preparing all of our students to thrive in a globalized world."

A portion of the TIEC grant will also be used to implement a scholarship fund to reduce the financial burden on students from the international partner universities who wish to study at ASU.

"At the Texas International Education Consortium, we are inspired by the faculty and staff in Texas and around the world who accept the challenge to bring a broader global perspective to their students through international experiences in the classroom," said Dr. William Smith II, TIEC senior director of global education and impact. "We are proud to support the wealth of creativity and cooperation among this year's Texas International Education Fund grant winners."

While ASU enrolled 219 international students from 31 countries in 2023-24, the vast majority came from Asian nations, including 77 from South Korea, 49 from Vietnam and 22 from Cambodia. Through the "Rumbo al Mundo!" project, ASU hopes to at least match those numbers with students from Latin America, while also providing valuable study-abroad opportunities for ASU students.