**U.S. Senate Resolution Designates 2006 as Year of Study Abroad**
State of Alabama Legislature Designates 2006 as Year of Study Abroad

HJR 534 Resolution by the Legislature, State of Alabama

ENROLLED, House Joint Resolution 

Designating 2006 as the Year of Study Abroad for the State of Alabama,

WHEREAS, encouraging the citizens of the State of Alabama to become globally literate is an important part of the mission of higher education in this state ; and

 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 and less than 1500 Alabama students currently study abroad each year; and

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; and

WHEREAS, providing the future leaders of this state with the broadest possible education will significantly impact our national security, foreign policy, economic competitiveness, and capacity for tolerance; and

WHEREAS, study abroad programs help students to be more informed about the world and empowered to develop the cultural awareness necessary to better understand themselves and others through comparison of cultural values and ways of life; and every student in the Alabama education system should have the opportunity for study abroad; and

WHEREAS, increasingly complex international trade relations, the urgent needs of developing nations, concerns for the preservation of our global ecology and the constant goal of world peace require that today's students be concerned about international events; and

WHEREAS, the United States Senate has declared 2006 as the Year of Study Abroad and Alabama Governor Bob Riley, in recognition of the US Department of State and Department of Education, has each year declared one week in November as State of Alabama International Education Week; and

WHEREAS, the bipartisan, federally-appointed Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, has made recommendations for enhanced support for study abroad opportunities on a national scale; and

WHEREAS, the State of Alabama is ideally suited to accomplish these objectives and take pride in its strong international presence through research and academic programs throughout higher education across the State of Alabama; and

WHEREAS, the emphasis on international education in Alabama will strengthen global understanding and build a foundation for the future of our state; now therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA, BOTH HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That we hereby resolve as follows:

 (1)  That 2006 be designated as the Year of Study Abroad for the State of Alabama.

(2)   Schools, institutions of higher learning, businesses, and government programs are encouraged to promote, collaborate on and expand study abroad opportunities.

(3)   Educators, school board members, business leaders and elected officials are encourages to support initiatives and collaborative efforts to promote and expand study abroad opportunities and observe the "Year of Study Abroad" with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and other activities.

(4)   Educators, school board members, business leaders and elected officials are encouraged to come together each year for a summit on international education to further the international education needs of the State of Alabama and provide an annual report on the state of international education in Alabama.

 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be provided to the State Board of Education and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in recognition of the importance of study abroad to Alabama students.

First Read, March 15, 2006
Adopted April 05, 2006

(by Representative Allan Boothe) 

Created 04/20/2006, rev. 04/20/2006 03:03:24 PM