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PCC makes Gilman’s 20th anniversary ‘Top Producing Institutions’ list
Photos and story by James Hill
Portland Community College has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship Program as a top producer of award recipients in the Associate institution 20-year overall Top Producer category.
Student Chad Sprangel at Machu Picchu.
PCC, which has produced 69 Gilman Scholars since 2001, has been recognized each year over the last four years for being in the top-producing category. The Gilman scholarship is specifically for Pell Eligible students who find greater access to study or intern abroad, gaining skills critical to national security and economic prosperity.
This announcement is part of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ 20th anniversary of the Gilman program. The Gilman scholarship has reshaped study abroad to make it more accessible and inclusive for American students by providing scholarships to U.S. undergraduate students who, due to financial constraints, might not otherwise participate.
“Portland Community College prioritizes the Gilman Scholarship because of its mission to inspire global thinking in students who typically could not study abroad,” said Ali Garfinkle, Education Abroad specialist. “It is as if the Gilman Scholarship were written for community college students.”
PCC started sending students on faculty-led summer programs during the summer of 2017 and advisors in the Study Abroad Office began offering scholarship advising for students. Since that time, applications and awards for the Gilman have more than doubled. For the Summer 2020 term that was interrupted by the global pandemic, 33 PCC students applied for the scholarship and 17 were granted awards.
“The scholarship has offered many students the life altering opportunity of travel,” Garfinkle added. “For students who have not owned a passport, who have not travelled by airplane, who have not stepped foot outside of their state, the opportunity to see the world is mind expanding. It is an immense privilege to walk with these students in their journeys.”
To learn more about the Gilman scholarship or study abroad opportunities, visit the Education Abroad webpage or email studyabroad@pcc.edu.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »