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The Center for Global Education promotes international education to foster cross-cultural awareness, cooperation and understanding. Living and working effectively in a global society requires learning with an international perspective.

We promote this type of learning by collaborating with colleges, universities and other organizations around the world.
PLUS: The Project for Learning in the United States
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About PLUS

PLUS: The Project for Learning in the United States, is an integrated international student preparation, training, and support program. To provide comprehensive support resources for international students planning to study at any U.S. college or university, PLUS will:

  • Develop the first comprehensive online curriculum to inform international students about study in the U.S.
  • Assist them with the admission and visa application process
  • Orient and train them before their study at U.S. institutions of higher education
  • Support and retain students for study in the U.S.
  • Prepare them to return home and to mentor others
  • Become mentors to U.S. students and encourage them to learn about the world and
  • Teach others when they return home about studying in the U.S.

PLUS PROGRAM

This innovative and challenging project, built on the Center for Global Education's previous efforts, has the capacity to provide support to thousands of students around the world.

PLUS International Student Support Project

The Center for Global Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has served as a national resource for the study abroad field, developing resources for students, faculty, and staff to make an impact on program development and implementation as well as student preparation for going abroad, support while they are abroad, and support after they return to the U.S. This has included innovations in resources for health and safety, handbooks to help prepare students for study abroad, as well as new pre-departure, while-you-are-there, and reentry online courses.

A limited number of U.S. colleges and universities provide a formal course beyond a standard orientation for international students after they arrive on campus for U.S. study. Some of the common challenges students face, include mastering English, understanding U.S. culture and values, and adjusting to the U.S. classroom. To cope with these challenges and succeed, international students need to learn skills different from those at home. PLUS Project resources will make a significant impact on students� preparation for U.S. study and support them while in the U.S.

Following completion of their U.S. study program, PLUS will guide students through post-study reentry and reintegration to their home country. Furthermore, PLUS will provide a mechanism for them to reflect on their experience, consider avenues for incorporating an international component into their curriculum, and train for the outreach portion of PLUS. Earning the PLUS uStudy Certificate will recognize achievement and knowledge gained through their U.S. study and completion of all PLUS components.

SUPPORT FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

PLUS, a national project located at CSUDH, is supported through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Comprehensive program. The Department of Education promotes excellence in education for all Americans through educational support programs. The Comprehensive Program is the central grant competition of FIPSE. The competition is designed to support innovative reform projects that hold promise as models for the resolution of important issues and problems in postsecondary education.

We welcome your input and expertise. If you have information or resources you would like to share, please email us at grhodes@globaled.us. Please click here to view our working bibliography.