Dickinson College Earns Historic Honor for Comprehensive International Education
Dickinson's international sign.
On-campus celebrations include a livestream watch party of the ceremony
Dickinson’s feted Center for Global Study & Engagement has even more to celebrate this year, as the college is now the only higher-ed institution in the nation to twice earn the coveted Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization. As President Margee Ensign and Samantha Brandauer ’95, associate provost and executive director of the Center for Global Study & Engagement, travel to Washington, D.C., to formally accept the award, Dickinsonians are gathering on campus to cheer them on via livestream, as part of a weeklong celebration of international education.
Named for the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, a strong advocate for international education and cross-cultural learning, the Simon Award was established in 2003 by NAFSA: Association for International Educators, the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. Dickinson was named an inaugural Simon Award winner in 2003 and became the first U.S. college in history to earn the award twice when NAFSA announced the 2019 award-winners last March.
The award is presented during International Education Week, established jointly by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange in preparing Americans for a global workforce. International Education Week is observed this year Nov. 18-22, and Dickinson is among a handful of institutions nationwide to be honored during a Nov. 21 ceremony in Washington, D.C.
To mark this event—and to commemorate all of the far-reaching effects of Dickinson’s global programs—the Center for Global Study & Engagement has teamed with the Waidner-Spahr Library, the Office of Equity & Inclusivity, the Popel Shaw Center and the President's Commission on Inclusivity to host International Education Week events on campus.
How to celebrate International Education Week:
- Monday, Nov. 18-Tuesday, Nov. 26, Waidner-Spahr Library
Collaborative Art Project
- Monday, Nov. 18–Friday, Nov. 22, Dining Hall
International Education Week Table, where you can learn more about International Education Week and different parts of the world.
- Thursday, Nov. 21, 4-5:30 p.m., Stern 102 and via live webcast
Livestream of Paul Simon Award ceremony, including a panel discussion featuring Ensign and fellow Simon Award-winning leaders in international education.
- Friday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., HUB Underground.
Careers in International Education – Representatives from the Center for Advising, Internships & Lifelong Career Development and the Center for Global Study & Engagement will discuss careers in international education.
- A series of additional global-education themed events, hosted by departments across campus, highlights the global events on campus all throughout the year.
The International Education Week events coincide with the release of the IIE Open Doors rankings—another cause to cheer on global education at Dickinson. Dickinson ranked among other baccalaureate colleges within the top 20 in four categories, and the top 10 in two:
- 5th in long-term (academic year) study abroad
- 6th in midlength (semesterlong) study abroad
- 13th in total study-abroad students
- 16th in hosting international students
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Published November 19, 2019
