IIE congratulates the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) on receipt of the 2024 Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education. The University’s Gilman Incentive Grant represents a novel model to incentivize students and support their applications to the Gilman Scholarship. As a benefit of receiving the Heiskell Awards, IIE is publishing guest entries from each recipient institution.
How does LMU’s mission to Life inspire you to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belongingness?
At LMU, we see global learning as an integral part of undergraduate and graduate education. As Associate Provost, Dr. Roberta Espinoza, asserts: “Our university is committed to global engagement and innovative financial assistance to foster transformative global learning opportunities for all of our students.” Like many institutions, we face obstacles in realizing this commitment, from internal structures to ever-expanding workloads. Sustained intentional and concerted effort is necessary to overcome obstacles and see the big picture. Fortunately, the offices focused on internationalization, like International Programs and Partnerships (IPP; formerly Global-Local Affairs), have a dedicated staff who are willing to brainstorm together and act to enhance student engagement in life-changing global experiences.
Both offices under IPP, the Office of Study Abroad (OSA) and the Office of National & International Fellowships (ONIF), recognized that low-income students face major hurdles when it comes to studying abroad. While programs like the national Gilman Scholarship seek to support students who receive Federal Pell Grants, the submission rates at LMU were lagging. We knew our low-income students were interested in studying abroad, but the financial aspect and the application process were often daunting. As a result, we came together to determine how we could actively help our students overcome these hurdles.
Tell us about bringing two offices together to design this initiative. How did you collaborate?
OSA and ONIF realized that there were similar applications but students tended to prioritize one grant and overlook the other! Motivated by our desire to help students and with an openness to collaboration, an idea was conceived: the Gilman Incentive Grant (GIG). Regardless of whether a student wins a Gilman Scholarship, as long as they work with ONIF to submit a polished application, they will receive a small grant to put towards an LMU study abroad program.
To support students with the GIG application, we leaned into each other’s strengths. OSA provided individualized advising to guide students in study abroad program selection. ONIF, as our fellowship experts, developed outreach initiatives and, in partnership with our Writing Center, provided student support in writing compelling application essays. Juliette Jamjian, a recipient of the GIG and the Gilman Scholarship, attests that “I received great feedback and advice regarding what I could add to my essays to make them better as well as how I can improve my writing… I always felt like I had someone at ONIF that I could reach out to if I had any questions.”
What process do Gilman Incentive Grant applicants follow and how are you measuring progress?
Launched in spring 2023, our first GIG cohort included 12 students who attended essay workshops, submitted drafts for revision, and incorporated critical feedback before submitting their Gilman applications. Two students from this first cohort received the Gilman Scholarship, and many more highly praised the GIG experience.
In our second year, 26 students completed the GIG and five of these candidates received Gilman Scholarships. We expect to grow participation as we continue to build excitement and awareness around this initiative. The overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from students serves to inspire us to expand the opportunity to more eligible applicants.
Like anything, the GIG is a work in progress. Planning for GIG is a significant consideration for both students and staff. OSA must help students identify potential programs at least 6 to 12 months before they plan to go abroad, ONIF must host application workshops and review rough drafts; all before the Gilman national due date which is earlier than similar scholarships. Each cycle we reevaluate our GIG timeline to not only factor in national deadlines, but to also account for holidays, mid-terms, as well as our students’ availability and capacity.
Please share some key takeaways from creating the Gilman Incentive Grant.
Although GIG is a modest grant, it offers a number of benefits to students. Not only does the GIG help break down financial barriers and increase diversity in study abroad, but it also strengthens students’ writing skills. It further emboldens them to apply for other opportunities now that they have experience with the application process.
Moreover, there is great value in walking through a scholarship application, beginning to end. “Awards like Gilman are competitive, so we want our students to understand the value of simply applying,” says Dr. Cassidy Alvarado, Director of National & International Fellowships. “These application processes can help students clarify their personal, academic, and professional goals, regardless of the outcome.”
GIG recipient and Gilman Scholar, Lizzie Joiner ‘24, shares that “Applying for the Gilman Scholarship was an eye-opening experience for me. In my essays, I spoke about the impact my mother’s trip to Afghanistan had on me at a young age. I realized that my perspective of the world was nuanced … I needed that connection because I see how my career goals are connected to my childhood experiences.”
Thanks to the GIG, more LMU students can engage in transformative global education, facilitating our common goal across offices to support equitable global learning for all.
The Heiskell Award was created in 2001 to promote and honor outstanding international higher education initiatives conducted by IIENetwork members. By recognizing excellence and innovation, IIE supports IIENetwork members in their endeavors, encourages the expansion and creation of initiatives based on these successful models, and amplifies the important role of international higher education on campuses and communities. Each winning initiative receives $1,000 to contribute to their ongoing success. Learn more about the awards and honorees at iie.org/HeiskellAwards.