Wayne State College of Engineering announces creation of Global Experience Scholarship Program

DETROIT (Friday, Feb. 1, 2013) - Wayne State University's College of Engineering and The Office for International Programs announced the creation of the Global Experience Scholarship Program, which will provide more than 20 engineering and computer science undergraduate students each with scholarships of at least $1,000 to gain research and industry experience abroad.

	Dean Farshad Fotouhi announces Global Experience Scholarship Program.

The scholarship program is designed to give students additional opportunities to develop a global perspective, one of the five recently established pillars to a Wayne State engineering and computer science education.

"This scholarship program will allow our students to learn about different cultures, conduct research with international scholars, gain industry experience abroad and become more marketable to future employers," said College of Engineering Dean Farshad Fotouhi. "We have the ability to make these types of programs a reality thanks to our many friends and partners around the world."

Fotouhi said that strong connections in China made it the ideal place to launch the program.

The first cohort of scholarship recipients will depart in May for six to eight weeks at one of several prestigious Chinese universities including Hubei University of Automotive Technology, Soochow University, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Xidian University, and the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Each institution will provide students with a unique mix of classes, research and industry experience. Participating students will live on or near each campus and will be paired with a Chinese student guide.

"We look forward to welcoming students from Wayne State to South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. SCUT is one of the leading universities in China and we hope that this six-week program will be a wonderful life experience for the students," said Cathy Chen, SCUT international student recruitment and admission representative.

According to Fotouhi, this could be just the beginning of a much larger initiative.

"We already have had discussions with institutions in England, France, Spain, Latvia, Romania, Macedonia, Korea, Mexico and Colombia about creating similar types of opportunities for our students," he said. "With a diverse faculty and alumni in 48 countries, there's really an enormous opportunity to further expand our efforts. We have remarkable students here at Wayne State, and we want to provide them with the necessary tools to be successful and inventive global-minded citizens."

Ahmad Ezzeddine, WSU associate vice president for international programs and educational outreach, travels the world extensively - often with Fotouhi - and sees firsthand the advantage a global perspective can give to students and graduates.

"We at the Office of International Programs are excited to launch this initiative with the College of Engineering and our international partners," Ezzeddine said. "It is an opportunity for us to invest in our students and their success. The immersion experience that engineering students will receive through this program is invaluable. By living, studying, and working in a different country they will gain insight and experience that will give them an edge as they are about to launch their careers."

Scholarship recipients will be named in March. For more information, visit https://engineering.wayne.edu/pillars/global-experience.php.

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Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students. For more information about engineering at Wayne State University, visit engineering.wayne.edu.