For the second straight year, Middle Tennessee State University Honors College Advisor Laura Clippard was selected by the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program to serve as a Gilman Advisor Ambassador.

Over the year, she will serve as a voice for higher education, advising diverse U.S. colleges and universities about the Gilman scholarship program. Clippard will share her expertise to promote the program and guiding students in the application process. 

“It is exciting to be a part of the Gilman Advisor Ambassadors for a second cycle. I love my work with low-income and first-generation students with Gilman and the MTSU Undergraduate Fellowships Office,” said Clippard. “I have been able to be involved in promoting Gilman to the Federal TRIO programs community at the national level. The Gilman Scholarship is a life-changing experience, and I encourage MTSU students with a Pell Grant to learn more.” 

Heading MTSU’s Undergraduate Fellowships Office, Clippard is an international fellowships coordinator, Fulbright advisor, and Critical Language Scholarship advisor at MTSU. She has served as a national applications reader for the Gilman scholarship, Critical Language Scholarship and Phi Kappa Phi scholarships.

The Gilman Program selected 26 Gilman Advisor Ambassadors representing diverse institutions in 22 U.S. states and the District of Columbia from a strong pool of applicants. The 2023-24 cohort is composed of professionals from study abroad offices, financial services, honors colleges, and student services positions. 

Advisors will receive training from staff at the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which sponsors and oversees the Gilman Program, and Gilman Program staff at the Institute of International Education, which supports program implementation. Through the Advisor Ambassadors Program, advisors will work together to 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.  

Since 2001, the Gilman Program has awarded more than 41,000 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, reflecting the rich diversity of the country, engage with their peers, communities, and host campuses in over 155 countries. One hundred percent of Gilman scholars have financial need, nearly 70% of Gilman scholars self-identify as racial or ethnic minorities, over 60% come from rural communities and small towns, and nearly half are first-generation college students. 

Students and faculty interested in learning more about the Gilman scholarship should contact Laura.Clippard@mtsu.edu. To learn more about specific Education Abroad options at MTSU, please contact educationabroad@mtsu.edu.

— Robin E. Lee (Robin.E.Lee@mtsu.edu)