Meridian International Center to host Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for 120 Global Student Leaders in partnership with leading American universities
May 14, 2019 (Washington D.C.) - Meridian is proud to announce it was awarded the honor to implement the 2019 Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Global Student Leaders from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.
The Meridian SUSI Global Student Leaders Program opens June 22, 2019, welcoming 100 outstanding university students from twenty countries. In partnership with five American institutions of higher education and affiliated organizations, participants will travel in cohorts of twenty participants each to one of five academic Institutes for a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, and institutions. The Institutes will focus on Civic Engagement; Entrepreneurship and Economic Development; Religious Freedom and Pluralism; Youth, Education, and Closing the Skills Gap; and the Rule of Law and Public Service. Please note one additional cohort on Civic Engagement will travel in January 2020 for students from Southern Africa.
The SUSI experience is complemented by the Meridian Global Leadership Institute, a Meridian-designed online leadership course. The Global Leadership Institute is delivered throughout the program lifecycle and designed to build the student’s skills in career cross-cutting capacities such as community building and diplomacy.
The Meridian SUSI Global Student Leaders Consortium represents a combined 30+ years of experience implementing State Department programs, including over 53 previous SUSI Institute cohorts and 1,000 alumni. The 2019 Consortium partners include:
- Center for Civic Engagement, Bard College (Annandale, New York)
- Foundation for International Understanding Through Students, University of Washington (Seattle, Washington)
- Donahue Institute, University of Massachusetts (Amherst, Massachusetts)
- Dialogue Institute, Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Northern Nevada International Council, University of Nevada (Reno, Nevada)
The Institutes feature a four-week academic residency which includes community service activities, leadership development sessions, opportunities for interaction with American peers, and excursions of cultural and historical significance. The residencies are then followed by a Case Study Tour to a geographically and demographically diverse region of the United States, underscoring the above program themes and enriching the participants’ experience. Study tours for 2019 will include: Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Salt Lake City, Utah; Baltimore, Maryland; and Atlanta, Georgia. All participants convene in Washington, D.C. for a closing forum as they prepare for return to their home communities and transition to SUSI alumni.
SUSI for Global Student Leaders aims to accomplish the following objectives:
- Enhance participants’ knowledge and understanding of U.S. history, government, institutions, society, and culture;
- Promote mutual understanding and lasting relationships between U.S. and international peers; and
- Develop participants’ leadership skills and commitment to community engagement.
The Meridian SUSI Global Student Leaders Program Consortium believes in the potential for greater impact when leadership development programs target young leaders. Meridian programs have directly benefitted over 3,500 alumni of fellowships and exchanges, such as Young Leaders of the America’s Initiative (YLAI), Young Transatlantic Leadership Initiative (YTILI), Pan African Youth Leadership Program (PAYLP), and the Let Girls Learn Initiative, empowering them as “agents of change” in their home countries while inspiring at least as many U.S. youth and adults.
The Studies of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by Meridian International Center.
learn more
