By Phyllis McIntosh
Special to the Washington File

The Department of State has honored retiring Congressman Benjamin Gilman, Republican from New York, for his significant contributions in the field of foreign policy and international exchange, particularly a scholarship program that provides financially needy U.S. undergraduates support to participate in study abroad programs.

At a reception November 18, during observance of the third annual International Education Week, Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage presented Gilman with the State Department's highest award, the Secretary's Distinguished Service Medal.

Gilman represented New York's 20th Congressional District for 15 terms. He served in many leadership positions, including chairman of the House International Relations Committee from 1995-2000 and congressional delegate to the United Nations session in 1981.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, enacted by Congress in 2000 under Gilman's leadership, is sponsored by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education. The program provides up to $5,000 for outstanding American students with financial need to study abroad for college credit. By aiding undergraduates who might not otherwise be able to study in other countries, the Gilman program diversifies and broadens the American student population studying abroad. In 2001, the first year of the program, 302 U.S. students representing 179 universities, colleges and community colleges studied in 51 countries. They were selected from among 2,700 applicants from 44 states and Puerto Rico.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Patricia S. Harrison praised Gilman as "an American leader who throughout his career has been a staunch supporter of international education and exchange." Among his most lasting contributions, she said, will be "the ongoing accomplishments made by the hundreds of students who receive support from the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program. My Bureau is honored to sponsor this program on behalf of Congress and the American people to enable bright students with financial need to have the opportunity to study and contribute on an international level."

Harrison also thanked the Institute of International Education for providing 30 additional scholarships to be awarded through the Gilman program.

In accepting the State Department award, Congressman Gilman said: "In looking back over the past 30 years, I recognize that the most enduring influence is achieved through our international exchange programs, because people-to-people contact -- the seeing, the doing, the interacting -- is how we learn to appreciate our similarities and, yes, our differences."

Deputy Secretary Armitage said that in the midst of national security concerns, "this is precisely the time we most need to remind one another -- friends and allies in the international community -- that we continue to have much to offer one another and that for the long-term health of our nations our children matter a lot more than smart bombs." He noted that the Gilman Scholarship Program "sends a lasting message of tolerance and mutual understanding. It's a legacy that is especially valuable today when we're engaged in a global effort to fight against terrorism." Addressing eight Gilman scholars in attendance at the reception, Armitage added, "Your presence here is a far more eloquent tribute to Ben Gilman's work that any words I can offer from this podium tonight."

The eight students received Gilman scholarships to study in Argentina, France, Ghana, Japan, Poland, South Africa and Spain. As a result of their experiences, many now hope to pursue international careers in law, human rights and medicine. They also have contributed their time and knowledge to benefit the areas where they lived and studied. While in South Africa, Adam Bushey, who attends LeMoyne College in Syracuse,
New York, taught and coached at a local high school that lacked running water and electricity and also volunteered at the World Summit for Sustainable Development. LaChandra Hare, a student at the College of Charleston in South Carolina and the first in her family to attend college, also spent a semester studying in South Africa. Since returning home, she has been sending school supplies to an elementary school in Eastern Cape Town and is organizing a fund-raiser on her campus to buy computers for the school. She hopes to obtain a medical degree and return eventually to South Africa to help combat the AIDS crisis.

The reception and award honoring Gilman were among many events in Washington, D.C., and worldwide in observance of International Education Week, which is cosponsored by the Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. For more information on International Education Week 2002 and on the Gilman Scholarship Program, visit exchanges.state.gov.