IIE Launches Center for Access and Equity

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is taking a bold step towards promoting access, equity, and diversity in education by establishing a new centre, the Center for Access and Equity. The Center aims to serve as a hub for research, advocacy, and best practices in these areas.

IIE, a non-profit organisation promoting international education and exchange programmes, recognises that all access to education is unequal. Factors such as socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geographic location can all impact a student's ability to pursue higher education. The Center will work towards reducing these barriers and promoting more significant equity and inclusion in education.

The new centre will focus on several key areas, including expanding access to education for underrepresented groups, promoting diversity and inclusivity in curriculum and programmes, and advocating for policies that promote equity in education.

In addition to research and advocacy, the Center will also serve as a resource for educators, administrators, and policymakers seeking to promote access, equity, and diversity in their own institutions. The Center will provide training, tools, and best practices for creating inclusive learning environments that meet the needs of all students.

According to Courtney Temple, IIE's Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, the Center's work will allow IIE to be a convener and have a particular focus on access and equity.

Temple explained that they aimed to create a unified approach to measuring the progress of their initiatives. Although they had previously implemented programmes and partnerships, they decided to centralise their efforts under one centre to have a better impact by providing focused funding.

According to Temple, the Center's first focus area includes the Dickinson College partnership, which began in 2020. She further explained that the latest joint initiatives would also be included in the program and partnership division. Dickinson College has a significant number of people who participate in international exchange. While the partnership was already in place, they wanted to enhance it by leveraging the college's expertise along with IIE's global reach.

“They are collaborating to organise a workshop aimed at promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in higher education for a global audience. The workshop will concentrate specifically on the concept of intersectionality for higher education professionals. "It will be facilitated and contributed to by experts from the global networks of IIE and Dickinson.” Temple continues.

The American Passport Project, which has the goal of providing 10,000 passports to students who may not typically have the opportunity to study abroad within the next decade, will be included in the Center's programme.

IIE’s partner universities award passports to eligible first-year undergraduates, primarily those in socioeconomic need. IIE funds the programme and selects recipients in collaboration with partner universities. At least 40 students will be selected in each cycle. 

The American Passport Project aims to grant 10,000 passports over the next ten years, with the aim of expanding study abroad opportunities to a broader group of students. According to Temple, obtaining a passport is the first step to opening up the possibility of studying abroad. 

The Center's Global Learning arm will focus on research into language acquisition as a barrier to global learning, study abroad, and future employability. While all three arms of the centre are interconnected, the global learning section will concentrate on research for the time being.

The Center's commitment to supporting underrepresented communities will be an integral part of all its activities. Temple will act as the executive sponsor, while Calvert will be the full-time director of the centre.