Kent State is creating a $20 million scholarship fund to assist any students interested in studying abroad.

The Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement is working with the Office of Global Education and Enrollment to design the scholarship program over the next few years. The fund will rely on endowment funds provided by private donations.

“We will be focusing on getting the endowment built over the next several years. We need to build the endowment to a level of at least $20 million to be able to begin awarding scholarships,” said Valoree Vargo, vice president of the Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement and the CEO of the Kent State Foundation.

The fund is designed to help every student be able to study abroad if they choose to, Vargo said.

With over 1,500 students studying in 60 countries across 200 programs, Kent State is already a leading school in study abroad, ranking in the top 2 percent, Vargo said.

With the help of this scholarship fund, Vargo said she hopes to increase enrollment at Kent State and differentiate the school from other programs.

This scholarship program differs from the other assistance programs already offered by being open to anyone and being more comprehensive.

The study abroad program grew 19.7 percent from 2015 to 2019 and the fund will help continue that growth.

“An international study abroad program is crucial to a student’s success,” Vargo said. “We can provide the opportunity for all students to have a global experience.”

Berkeley Chadwick is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].