[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 149 (Thursday, November 10, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12708-S12709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            DESIGNATING 2006 AS THE ``YEAR OF STUDY ABROAD''

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 308, submitted early 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will please report the resolution by 
title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 308) designating 2006 as the ``Year 
     of Study Abroad.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
support a Senate resolution designating 2006 as the ``Year of Study 
Abroad.'' This resolution encourages initiatives to promote and expand 
study-abroad opportunities. Now more than ever, America needs citizens 
who can understand and communicate with people all over the world. 
However, fewer than 1 percent of all U.S. undergraduates participate in 
study-abroad programs while nearly 600,000 international students from 
more than 200 countries study in the United States each year. The 
future of our Nation depends on our ability to prepare the next 
generation of leaders for an increasingly complex global society.
  This resolution seeks to promote study-abroad experiences as valuable 
opportunities for exposure to global knowledge and cultural 
understanding. An education that includes study abroad not only opens 
doors to careers, it opens minds and worlds of possibility. Studying 
abroad can help students develop foreign language proficiency, improve 
decisionmaking skills, and increase maturity and self-confidence. Such 
experience can also help heighten a student's cultural sensitivity. Put 
simply, an international education prepares U.S. citizens to live, 
work, and compete in the global economy. Studying abroad is also an 
effective way to promote the development of a peaceful global 
community, increase international trade, and create goodwill towards 
the United States.
  Congress recognized the importance of studying abroad in 2004 when it 
established the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad 
Fellowship Program. The Commission was tasked with formulating a 
national program that would dramatically increase the number of 
American students studying abroad each year. The Commission is 
scheduled to issue its recommendations on December 1 of this year. This 
resolution underscores the importance of the Commission's work and 
builds on the message of International Education Week, November 14 to 
18, 2005.
  The future challenges that face all nations will require an 
unprecedented degree of understanding and cooperation among countries 
and their leaders. The experiences and lifelong friendships that result 
from studying abroad can help foster mutual understanding between the 
future leaders of the world. Such relationships and cooperation are 
vital for a secure and prosperous future, not only for the United 
States, but for the entire world.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be 
printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

[[Page S12709]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 308) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 308

       Whereas ensuring that the citizens of the United States are 
     globally literate is the responsibility of the educational 
     system of the United States;
       Whereas educating students internationally is an important 
     way to share the values of the United States, to create 
     goodwill for the United States around the world, to work 
     toward a peaceful global society, and to increase 
     international trade;
       Whereas, according to a 2002 American Council on Education 
     poll, 79 percent of people in the United States agree that 
     students should have a study abroad experience sometime 
     during college, but only 1 percent of students from the 
     United States currently study abroad each year;
       Whereas study abroad programs help people from the United 
     States to be more informed about the world and to develop the 
     cultural awareness necessary to avoid offending individuals 
     from other countries;
       Whereas a National Geographic global literacy survey found 
     that 87 percent of students in the United States between the 
     ages of 18 and 24 cannot locate Iraq on a world map, 83 
     percent cannot find Afghanistan, 58 percent cannot find 
     Japan, and 11 percent cannot even find the United States;
       Whereas studying abroad exposes students from the United 
     States to valuable global knowledge and cultural 
     understanding and forms an integral part of their education;
       Whereas Congress recognized through the Higher Education 
     Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) that the security, 
     stability, and economic vitality of the United States in an 
     increasingly complex global age depend largely upon having a 
     globally competent citizenry and the availability of experts 
     specializing in world regions, foreign languages, and 
     international affairs;
       Whereas the Coalition for International Education, an ad 
     hoc group of higher education organizations with interests in 
     the international education programs of the Department of 
     Education, and Government Accountability Office reports have 
     found that Federal agencies, educational institutions, and 
     corporations in the United States are suffering from a 
     shortage of professionals with international knowledge and 
     foreign language skills;
       Whereas, according to the Coalition for International 
     Education, institutions of higher education in the United 
     States are struggling to graduate enough students with the 
     language skills and cultural competence necessary to meet the 
     current demands of business, government, and educational 
     institutions;
       Whereas a survey done by the Institute for the 
     International Education of Students shows that studying 
     abroad influences subsequent educational experiences, 
     decisions to expand or change academic majors, and decisions 
     to attend graduate school;
       Whereas substantive research literature demonstrates that 
     some of the core values and skills of higher education are 
     enhanced by participation in study abroad programs;
       Whereas study abroad programs not only open doors to 
     foreign language learning, but also empower students to 
     better understand themselves and others through a comparison 
     of cultural values and ways of life;
       Whereas study abroad programs for students from the United 
     States can provide specialized training and practical 
     experiences not available at institutions in the United 
     States;
       Whereas a blue ribbon task force of NAFSA: Association of 
     International Educators, a global association of individuals 
     dedicated to advancing international education and exchange, 
     found that a national effort to promote study abroad programs 
     is needed to address a serious deficit in global competence 
     in the United States;
       Whereas the bipartisan, federally-appointed Commission on 
     the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, 
     established pursuant to section 104 of the Miscellaneous 
     Appropriations and Offsets Act, 2004 (division H of the 
     Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108-199; 
     118 Stat. 435)), is scheduled to make recommendations by 
     December 1, 2005, for a national study abroad program to meet 
     this need: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates 2006 as the ``Year of Study Abroad'';
       (2) encourages secondary schools, institutions of higher 
     learning, businesses, and government programs to promote and 
     expand study abroad opportunities; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to--
       (A) support initiatives to promote and expand study abroad 
     opportunities; and
       (B) observe the ``Year of Study Abroad'' with appropriate 
     ceremonies, programs, and other activities.

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