Apply     Visit     Give     |     Alumni     Parents     Directory     Offices     TCNJ Today     search icon

TCNJ awarded IDEAS grant to enhance public health engagement in India

TCNJ has been selected as one of just 44 institutions across the country to receive funding support from the U.S. Department of State’s Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students Program. TCNJ’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences will use these funds to help their faculty and students conduct an in-depth comparison between the U.S. and Indian approaches to health care.

“The goal of this project is to equip TCNJ professors and students with information about how nursing, public health, kinesiology and health sciences are practiced in the US and India. Professors and students will engage with our partners at the Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences in Loni (Maharashtra State), India to enhance their understanding of how the culture of each country can impact public health actions and perceptions.” said Christa Olson, executive director for global engagement at TCNJ. “This grant will help TCNJ professors infuse their courses with information about India, advance collaborative research to address critical health issues, and offer invaluable field experiences for our students with internships and clinical practicums in India.”

New Jersey’s large population of Indian citizens was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the program. “A key motivation was to help our students better understand Indian culture and the views those from India have on healthcare practices to better serve the large Indian community throughout our state,” Olson said.

“The U.S. Department of State is committed to supporting U.S. colleges and universities as they continue to rebuild study abroad capacity impacted by the global pandemic. That is why ECA is proud to be awarding double the number of IDEAS grants this year so that we can support more institutions as they work to provide important international educational opportunities to their students. Our IDEAS grant recipients reflects the full diversity of the U.S. higher education system – including community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), rural institutions, and more – and we are committed to working with them to build study abroad programs that are accessible for Americans of all backgrounds and that provide more opportunities for American students to engage with people in more diverse destinations around the world.” said Heidi Manley, USA Study Abroad Chief, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Since 2016, the IDEAS Program has awarded 145 grants to 139 institutions in 48 states and territories to create, expand, and diversify their U.S. study abroad programs in 71 countries across all world regions. In addition to the IDEAS grant competition, the program also offers opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators at U.S. colleges and universities to participate in a series of free virtual and in-person study abroad capacity building activities.