Global Education Oregon will grant two to three awards of $5,000-$10,000 each to UO degree-granting academic units to seed the development of new international field schools.

The grants will pay for travel, release time and other costs associated with developing regular department study abroad programming in one or more sites in the world.

The field schools will involve many faculty from the home department and will offer courses that satisfy department major requirements. Over time, the university expects that field school locations will become woven into the home department’s courses at many levels.

While field schools will generally take place in the summer, other creative timing and ways to help more students go abroad and fulfill their major requirements will be considered.

“Today’s undergraduates face job markets and careers that are more competitive than ever and more international than ever,” said Thomas Bogenschild, executive director of Global Education Oregon. “With these changes come new pressures to connect on-campus curricula more directly to practical skills and to international opportunities.”

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee consisting of the vice provost for international affairs, the executive director of global education Oregon, and UO faculty members who serve as senior advisors in the Office of International Affairs. The committee is looking for submissions that build programs with high faculty and department buy-in and the maximum potential for the integration of study abroad into a department’s curriculum.

Deadline for proposals is Friday, Dec. 2.

Submissions and inquiries should be addressed to Bogenschild. Field school development will typically begin in in summer 2017 with launch most typically in summer 2018.

Visit the Global Education Oregon website at http://geo.uoregon.edu/fieldschools to learn more about the application process.

—By Lindsay Kelchner, International Affairs