Editorial | A more global Penn

With the news that the House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorize $80 million of federal aid to study-abroad students - particularly those seeking to spend a semester in non-traditional locations -the future of international study seems to have brightened.

Similarly, at last week's trustees meeting, a number of reassurances were made about plans to fulfill the Penn Compact's charge to make the University more of a global institution.

To that effect, Provost Ron Daniels spoke at the meetings about a number of particular proposals that have been implemented.

One program, for example, is sending Penn students to Botswana to work in hospitals that provide care for HIV-positive patients.

Furthermore, Daniels highlighted the Penn World Scholars Program, which seeks to bring 20 to 30 students from impoverished countries to the University.

And given the recent rise in interest for study abroad programs at Penn - abroad applications increased 19 percent this year - it seems that the internationalization of Penn students is going well.

As always, though, there is more progress to be made.

The aforementioned bill still needs to clear the Senate.

And, as Daniels mentioned at the meeting, a number of lofty goals still remain for Penn, such as becoming need-blind for international students - not just domestic students.

The rational for such a focus still remains as valid as ever: In an ever-globalizing world, students need exposure to different cultures in order to compete on an economic level.

From Capitol Hill to College Hall, improvements continue to be made in providing this exposure.

Let's hope the trend continues.

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