Passport to Global Empowerment nominations open

The Center for Africana Studies Passport to Global Empowerment program will present free passports to 25 selected first-year undergraduate students. Eligible students must be U.S. citizens; Pell-eligible or have documented financial need; and 18 years or older and a first-time applicant.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to nominate eligible students to receive a free passport. Nominations will be accepted from Oct. 2 to Oct. 30. For more information, email AfricanaStudiesCenter@ccsu.edu or visit https://www.ccsu.edu/cas/passport-global-empowerment-programPassport/.

This program is powered by the IIE American Passport Project. Selected students will have their full passport costs covered—including the $130 passport book fee and $35 processing fee—and receive support to complete their application.

As part of its mission, the IIE promotes international education and exchange so that all students can gain the academic and career benefits of international experiences. Nationally, less than 10 percent of U.S. college students study abroad, according to the IIE. IIE aims to assist a total of 10,000 Pell-eligible U.S. students through this program by the end of the decade. At Central, 35 percent of students are eligible for Pell grants.