UMass Amherst Ranked 4th Nationally in Federal Gilman Scholarships for Study Abroad
Dec. 16, 2009
| Contact: | Daniel J. Fitzgibbons 413/545-0444 |
AMHERST, Mass. – Students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are among the most successful nationally in the congressionally funded Gilman Scholarship program for study abroad.
Fourteen UMass students have been awarded the scholarships for the spring 2010 semester, ranking the school fourth in the country with Evergreen State University in Washington and San Francisco State University. The other top-ranked schools are the University of California, Berkeley, University of Arizona and New York University.
“That such a large number of our students received Gilman Scholarships is great news for the UMass Amherst campus as well as being a tribute to the quality of our students,” said Frank Hugus, associate provost for international programs. “The scholarship recipients are to be congratulated. We wish them well as they embark on their semesters abroad.”
Students from 318 public and private universities submitted 3,123 applications for the scholarships. Only 39 percent, or 1,226 students, were selected for the program, while the acceptance rate for the 32 UMass applicants was 44 percent.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships support students with large financial need and give priority both to students with non-traditional study abroad destinations and to students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The grants range from $3,500 to $8,000 per semester. Students are selected on the basis of financial need and the quality of the essays they submit with their applications.
Through the program, UMass Amherst students will study in Australia, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Ghana, Hong Kong, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania and the United Kingdom.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 2001, the program is administered by the Institute of International Education through its Southern Regional Center in Houston.
The UMass students submitted their applications with the guidance of the international programs staff and financial aid services.
The UMass students awarded Gilman Scholarships are:
• Jaclynn Chiodini, an anthropology major from Seekonk, R.I., for study in Tanzania
• Bukola Dawodu, an economics major from Providence, R.I., for study in Ghana
• Abigail Doucette, a public health sciences major from Amesbury, to study in Ghana
• Stephanie Fleury, an Italian studies major from Easthampton, to study in Italy
• Jessica Haase, a management major from Highlands Ranch, Colo., for study in Australia
• Diane Hui, a hospitality and tourism management major from Quincy, to study in Hong Kong
• Michael Kebede, a social thought and political economy major from Jamaica Plain, to study in South Africa
• Mikhail Lipovsky, a philosophy major from Bradford, to study in the United Kingdom
• Francine Miranda, a psychology major from Brockton, to study in Egypt
• Bryan Poole, a biochemistry major from Seekonk, R.I., to study in Australia
• Sage Sluter, a landscape architecture major from Greenfield, to study in the United Kingdom
• Petja Tomova, a political science major from Natick, to study in Spain
• Rebecca Walsh, a Spanish major from Lowell, to study in Chile
• Dennis Yip, a design major from Newton, to study in Denmark
E-mail story to a friend 
Printer-friendly version
