History of the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad

Fellowship Program: 2003 to Early 2005

Prepared by

David Comp
International Higher Education Consulting
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/

November 18, 2003 – NAFSA releases Securing America's Future: Global Education for a Global Age -
Report of the Strategic Task Force on Education Abroad.

The concept behind the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program was introduced by the late U.S.
Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) in the report of the Strategic Task Force on Education Abroad Securing America's
Future: Global Education for a Global Age. Inspired by President Lincoln’s understanding of international
matters and his signing of the Morrill Act, the Land Grant College Act, Senator Simon envisions a Fellowship of
up to $7,000 a year awarded to 500,000 college students to study abroad annually for a least a summer or
semester with priority given to those students seeking educational opportunities in developing nations. The cost
of this program would be $3.5 billion a year which is only one-seventh of 1 percent of the federal budget. In the
words of Senator Simon, “The question is not whether we can do it, but whether these fellowships should be one
of our priorities.”

December 1, 2003 - The FY2004 Omnibus Appropriations Bill provides, under the miscellaneous
appropriations section, $500,000 to establish a Bipartisan Presidential Commission on the Abraham Lincoln
Study Abroad Fellowship Program. The Commission will consist of 17 members, with three each appointed by
the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, the Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader. The
President will appoint four members, with advice on these appointments from the Secretaries of State,
Education, Commerce, and Defense. The 12 commission members appointed by Congressional leadership will
jointly appoint the chair of the commission. The legislation authorizes the commission to hire an executive
director and up to three additional staff members. The Commission has until December 1, 2004, to examine the
issue and report on its findings to Congress.

December 9, 2003 – Former Illinois Senator Paul Simon dies of complications a day after heart surgery.

February 2004 – The International Education community in collaboration with various higher education
organizations, including The Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (which was
established by former Senator Paul Simon in 1997), created the Lincoln Fellowship Advisory Council to pool
collective wisdom and advise The Commission. Four working groups were created to assist with the
compilation of resources and data and provide guidance to the Advisory Council.

The Lincoln Fellowship Advisory Council and Working Groups are comprised of the following individuals:

Marlene Johnson (NAFSA)

Allan Goodman (IIE)
Kenton Keith (Alliance)
Peter McPherson (Michigan State University)

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John Jackson (Public Policy Inst., SIU)
Geoffrey Bannister (Forum on Education Abroad)
Kurt Landgraf (President, ETS)
David Ward (ACE)
Martin Simon (Simon Family)

Working Groups

Research and Strategic Analysis

John Hudzik (Mich. State) Co-Chair
Peggy Blumenthal (IIE) Co-Chair
Carl Herrin (NAFSA)
Geoffrey Bannister (Forum)
Mary Anne Grant (ISEP)
Jeanne Marie Duvall (American Councils)
Lenora Green (ETS)
Hey-Kyung Koh Chin (IIE)
Susan Sygall (Mobility Int’l)
Nicole Norfles (COE)

Association Liaison and Campus Outreach

Michael McCarry (Alliance) Co-Chair
Geoffrey Bannister (Forum) Co-Chair
John Yopp (CGS)

Federal Relations/Lobbying
Vic Johnson (NAFSA) Co-Chair
Michael McCarry (Alliance) Co-Chair
Scott Kaiser (SIU)
Doug Richardson (SIU)
Tom Harvey (IIE)
John Yopp (CGS)
Howard Gobstein/
Mary Malaspina (MSU)
Courtney Klein-Faust (NAFSA)
Sherri Powar (Alliance)

Communications
Ursula Oaks (NAFSA) Co-Chair
Mike Lawrence (SIU)

Spring 2004 – Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist (R-TN) and Senate Minority Leader, Tom Daschle (D-SD)
complete their appointments to The Commission.

Senator Frist appointments

1. Stevan Trooboff, President and CEO, CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange
2. William E. Troutt, President, of Rhodes College
3. Christine Vick, Vice President, The Cohen Group

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Senator Daschle appointments
1. Richard J. Durbin, U.S. Senator (D-IL)
2. Douglas Ohmer, Director, Center for Excellence in International Business, Northern State University
3. Brad Heegel, Director of Public Events and Marketing, Augustana College

Late Spring/Summer 2004 – Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and House Minority Leader,
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) complete their appointments to The Commission.

Speaker Hastert appointments

1. Mark Kirk, U.S. Representative (R-IL)
2. S. Kerry Cooper, Executive Director, International Business Programs, Texas A&M University
3. John G. Peters, President, Northern Illinois University

Representative Pelosi appointments

1. Louise Slaughter, U.S. Representative (D-NY)
2. Mary M. Dwyer, President, Institute for the International Education of Students (IES)
3. Mora McLean, President and Chief Executive Officer, Africa-America Institute

September 21, 2004 - The Senate passed language that would extend the life of the Commission on the
Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program by one year, while ensuring that it has continued funding.
The language extending the commission was added by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.)

October 1, 2004 –President George W. Bush’s announces his intention to appoint four individuals representing
the Departments of State, Education, Commerce and Defense to The Commission.

President Bush appointments

1. John K. Andrews, Jr., Colorado State Senator (R-Centennial)
2. James Edgar, former Governor of Illinois (R)
3. Lynette Boggs McDonald, Commissioner, Clark County, Nevada
4. Lyn Bracewell Phillips of Texas

October 4, 2004 – Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) announces on behalf of himself, House
Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist (R-TN) and Senate Minority Leader,
Tom Daschle (D-SD) that M. Peter McPherson, President of Michigan State University, had been appointed
chairman of the Lincoln Commission.

December 6, 2004 - The Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Commission meets for the first time at the
National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) in Washington, D.C. The
following Commission members are in attendance: John Andrews (via speaker phone), Lynette Boggs
McDonald, Lynn Bracewell Phillips, Governor James Edgar, Brad Heegel, Representative Mark Kirk, Mora
McLean, Peter McPherson (Chair), William Troutt, and Christine Vick. Martin Simon, son of the late U.S.
Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) began by addressing the Commission and Tom Farrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for Academic Programs also addressed the Commission. The Commission appointed William
DeLauder, President Emeritus, Delaware State University as the Executive Director of the Commission. Peter
McPherson informs the Commission that Congress reduced the Commission’s budget from $500,000 to
$250,000.

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December 2004 - Peter McPherson requested that the “Briefing Book” prepared by The Lincoln Fellowship
Advisory Council be made public. NAFSA makes The State and Future of Study Abroad in the United States: A
Briefing Book for the Bipartisan Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program
available to the public on their website.

Early February 2005 – The Forum on Education Abroad submits a position paper to the Abraham Lincoln
Study Abroad Fellowship Commission.

February 8, 2005 – Second meeting of the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Commission. The
meeting was held again at the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC)
in Washington, D.C. with the following Commissioners in attendance: Chairman Peter McPherson, Stevan
Trooboff, Mary Dwyer, Mora McLean, Lynette Boggs McDonald, Brad Heegel, John Peters, and Kerry Cooper.
An aide for Rep. Louise Slaughter attended a portion of the meeting as well as the Executive Director of the
Commission, William DeLauder. NASULGC submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of State to receive
and distribute funds on behalf of the Commission and the American Council on Education (ACE) allocated
office space to the Commission at One Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. Chairman McPherson has been
reaching out to various stakeholders such as the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). The two immediate priorities by
Chairman McPherson are: 1. to raise additional funds for the Commission, and; 2. to build relationships with
those on Capital Hill. The next two meetings have been scheduled for April 12 and June 14, 2005.

February 14, 2005 – NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Marlene Johnson submits lengthy letter to the
Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Commission thanking Commissioners for their work thus far and
reminding them of the goals set by the NAFSA Strategic Task Force on Education Abroad that 20% of U.S.
students receiving undergraduate degrees study abroad by 2010 and 50% by 2040. Accompanying Johnson’s
letter is a two-page Think-Piece on Funding for Lincoln Fellowship Program prepared by Victor Johnson,
Associate Executive Director for Public Policy at NAFSA.

Early March 2005 – NAFSA hosts Lincoln Study Abroad Discussion Forum on it’s website. The Discussion
Forum is co-sponsored by:
Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange
American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)
American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)
American Council on Education (ACE)
American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS)
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
National Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities (NASULGC)

The Discussion Forum is open to both the academic community and the public as a means to submit comments
and ideas on a variety of topics important to education abroad created by the Lincoln Commission. Discussion
Forum topics include: Value of Study Abroad, Types of Awards, Target Student Population, Strategic National
Interests, Safety, Report Outline, Quality, Primary Goal, Outcomes & Impacts, Funding Goals & Timelines,
Definition of Study Abroad, and Barriers.

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Resources:

- Securing America's Future: Global Education for a Global Age - Report of the Strategic Task Force
Education Abroad. (November, 2003). The full report can be downloaded from:
<http://www.nafsa.org/content/PublicPolicy/stf/securingamericasfuture.htm>.
- NAFSA.news Vol. 8, No. 45, December 8, 2003.
- Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange, briefing sheet (2003).
- SECUSS-L post on 9/27/04 by Courtney Klein-Faust; Associate Director and Counsel, Government Relations,
NAFSA.
- White House Press Release, October 1, 2004 <www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/10/20041001-
14.html>.
- AndrewsAmerica.com, October 6, 2004
<http://www.andrewsamerica.com/dynamics/resultsbb.php?article_id=289>.
- McPherson appointed to lead national study abroad commission. Michigan State University Press Release,
October 7, 2004 < http://www.newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/2154/content.htm>.
- Lincoln Fellowship Commission Set. NAFSA Press Release, October 12, 2004
<http://www.nafsa.org/content/PublicPolicy/FortheMedia/lincolncomm101204.pdf>.
- Minutes of the December 6, 2004 initial meeting of the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship
Commission, prepared by Carl Herrin
<http://www.nafsa.org/content/PublicPolicy/NAFSAontheIssues/LincolnCommissionMinutesDec62004.htm>.
- Association of International Education Administrators listserv post on 12/9/04 by Michael McCarry, Executive
Director, Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange.
- The State and Future of Study Abroad in the United States: A Briefing Book for the Bipartisan Commission on
the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program. (December, 2004). The briefing book can be
downloaded from <http://www.nafsa.org/content/publicpolicy/NAFSAontheIssues/lincolnbriefing.htm>.
- Study Abroad Commission Up and Running. Kyna Rubin, International Educator, pp. 7-8, January/February,
2005.
- Summary of February 8 Meeting of Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, NAFSA website
<http://www.nafsa.org/content/publicpolicy/NAFSAontheIssues/lincolnmeeting020805.htm>.
- Letter from NAFSA Executive Director Marlene Johnson and “Think-Piece on Funding for Lincoln
Fellowship Program” prepared by Victor Johnson, Associate Executive Director for Public Policy at NAFSA,
February 14, 2005 <http://www.nafsa.org/content/publicpolicy/NAFSAontheIssues/lincolnnafsaltr020305.pdf>.
- Lincoln Study Abroad Discussion Forum, Hosted on NAFSA website
<http://www.nafsa.org/content/PublicPolicy/NAFSAontheIssues/lincolnforum.htm>.
- Forum on Education Abroad Reports to the Membership (multiple).
- Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange listserv summary postings (multiple).
- Various public records.