Announcement: FIUTS Selected to Host Two Study of the U.S. Institutes
FIUTS is thrilled to announce that we have been selected to partner with Meridian International Center to host two Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSIs). The SUSI is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. FIUTS has previously hosted two SUSI programs, and we are excited for the opportunity to continue to bring motivated, inspiring young leaders to Seattle.
This new partnership will provide funding for FIUTS to host two cohorts of SUSI students in 2019-2020. Each cohort includes 20 undergraduate university students between the ages of 19-25, who are selected by the U.S. Embassies in their home countries through a competitive application process. Students receive full scholarships to participate in the program. The two SUSI programs that FIUTS will host through this new partnership are:
Participants in the 2019 SUSI on Civic Engagement with Southern Africa at the FIUTS CulturalFest International Expo in February
The SUSI on Youth, Education, and Closing the Skills Gap: This is a new SUSI theme through which students will study the “future of work” - the ways in which technology, innovation, and globalization are prompting the development of new initiatives to educate and prepare youth with professional skills. Students are from Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Tunisia. The first cohort from this program will be in Seattle starting next month, from June 22-July 21, 2019
The SUSI on Civic Engagement: This is a continuation of the program we have hosted for the last three years, with students from Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe). The program will take place in Seattle for one month from mid-January to mid-February beginning in 2020.
During the SUSI, students participate in academic classes, volunteer and service activities, leadership workshops, and cultural and educational excursions. They also gain skills and knowledge that they are able to use to design projects that they will plan and implement in their home communities after the conclusion of the program.
Interested in being involved? Here are some opportunities to get to know the SUSI students this summer:
Participants in the 2016 FIUTS SUSI on Journalism and New Media with their UW student Ambassadors
Sign up to host a student (or two) for a 1-week homestay
Apply to be a University of Washington Student Ambassador and be matched 1-1 with a SUSI participant during their time in Seattle
Attend the Roundtable Discussion on the Future of Work on July 10 or the Professional Networking Reception on July 16, two events which are both open to the public and give members of the Seattle-area community an opportunity to connect with SUSI participants.
The SUSI is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by Meridian International Center and FIUTS.
More about the SUSI:
The Study of the U.S. Institutes promote a better understanding of the people, institutions, and culture of the United States among international students, teachers, and scholars. Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSIs) are short-term academic programs for groups of undergraduate leaders, educators, and scholars from around the world. Hosted by academic institutions throughout the United States, these 5- to 6-week Institutes include an intensive academic residency and an integrated educational study tour. Extracurricular cultural and community activities help to broaden the participants’ understanding of U.S. society. See more at: http://exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/study-us-institutes
See the full announcement from Meridian International here. Learn more about FIUTS Visiting Programs here.
For more information about this program, please contact FIUTS Manager of Education Programs Ellen Frierson at ellen@fiuts.org, 206-543-1571.