GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program

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Intercultural Connections

The GE Foundation and the Institute of International Education recognize that global mobility means much more than job security. Intercultural awareness builds bridges of understanding and co-operation between people and societies in an increasingly global economy. The GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program awards over 200 scholarships a year to students around the world in fourteen countries. An example of the development of regional networks is found in the Leadership seminar in Central Europe. Annually, this seminar brings together the recently selected Scholar-Leaders from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. In future years, we aim to expand the international component of the program even further to provide opportunities for students to meet fellow Scholar-Leaders outside of their home country. The Leadership seminar will accommodate students across different cohorts to participate in projects and classes together.

Community Initiatives

The GE Foundation is committed to developing the human resource capacity in each region in which they operate. To help build leadership, GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders are required to engage in community service during the length of the program. Examples of these volunteer projects include:

• a visit to a local orphanage in Malaysia where our Scholar-Leaders developed fun educational activities for the residents
• mentoring and tutoring of local youth and troubled teens in the UK
• providing labor at a women’s shelter in Canada to help prepare a training room for the residents
• developing a supplementary course to help middle-school students in India to prepare for examinations

Through these community service commitments, the Scholar-Leaders have the opportunity to develop important professional skills while making valuable contributions to their communities.

Institute of International Education (IIE) news and highlights

Opening Minds to the World

IIE currently administers over 200 programs benefiting nearly 20,000 men and women from 175 nations. IIE 2007 Annual Report

GE Foundation News and Highlights:

The GE Foundation seeks to address some sobering statistics. For example:

• In the U.S., only 67 out of every 100 students will graduate from high school on time, and only 18 will end up graduating from college.
• In China, 71% of the country’s illiterate population is female.
• In India, 40% of 1st grade students drop out by the 5th grade.
• In Mexico, 90% of students who start school will not get to college.

OPENING DOORS : In addition to the benefits that GE’s presence can bring to communities such as job creation and training, GE can create long-term impact through our philanthropic focus on education. Read more →