BHSU COORDINATOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS SELECTED AS GILMAN ADVISOR AMBASSADOR

BHSU COORDINATOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS SELECTED AS GILMAN ADVISOR AMBASSADOR

• BHSU Communications
• 24 October 2024

Black Hills State University's Coordinator of International Affairs, Kaitlin Palmer, has been selected by the U.S. Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program to serve as a Gilman Advisor Ambassador for the 2024-2025 academic year. Palmer will use her expertise to advise a broad range of U.S. colleges and universities on how to promote the Gilman Program and guide students in the application process.

The Gilman Program selected 26 Gilman Advisor Ambassadors representing institutions in 21 U.S. states from a competitive pool of applicants. The 2024-2025 cohort is composed of professionals from study abroad offices, financial services, scholarship and fellowship offices, and student services positions. Through the Gilman Advisor Ambassadors Program, advisors will offer higher education perspectives on the Gilman Program, mentor new Gilman advisors, and participate in national-level outreach efforts through conferences, campus engagement, and other activities.

Palmer said, "I am thrilled to serve the field of international education in this capacity and look forward to continuing the efforts of Gilman to make study abroad more accessible for BHSU students and for deserving students across the U.S."

Since 2001, the Gilman Program has awarded more than 44,000 scholarships to outstanding U.S. undergraduate students with high financial need from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories. Gilman scholars represent the United States as they engage with their peers, communities, and host campuses in over 170 countries. One hundred percent of Gilman scholars have financial need, approximately 70% identify as students of color, over 60% come from rural communities and small towns, and nearly half are first-generation college students. More than 5,000 Gilman advisors on campuses across the United States play a key role in connecting students with this scholarship opportunity.

The Gilman Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with funding provided by the U.S. government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. For more information about Gilman and the Gilman Scholarship, please visit GilmanScholarship.org/Program.