Unique Opportunity to Study Civic Engagement in the USA this Summer!

Applications now open to Undergraduate Students in Ireland

Undergraduate students in Ireland are invited to apply for Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSIs) for European Students. The successful candidates will travel to the USA in June 2020 to examine Civic Engagement at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

The five-week SUSIs program provides students with an overview of how citizens have shaped U.S. history, government and society. Awardees will attend seminars exploring topics such as citizenship, community building, economic development, grassroots activism, political leadership and volunteerism.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet with community leaders, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations. Study tours to Charleston, South Carolina; Williamsburg, Virginia; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will allow students to explore civic engagement through the unique perspective of different communities and the program will end with a forum in Washington, D.C.

SUSIs Alumnus Liam O’Driscoll said: “Looking back on my five weeks in South Carolina, words cannot convey how much I learned and experienced. The SUSIs program was, without doubt, extraordinary. From engaging debates and class discussions with a vast array of speakers, to the many trips and volunteer experiences that I undertook, I got to see America and its people from a unique and interesting perspective.”

The SUSIs Award is funded by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and includes airfare, tuition and fees, lodging and meals, a daily incidentals allowance, visa sponsorship and a range of academic and cultural programming.

Seven SUSIs winners from Ireland have undertaken the Award in the USA to date, including Matthew McCarthy (Crawford CIT Crawford College of Art & Design), Liam O’Driscoll (University College Cork), Niall O’Shaughnessy (University College Dublin), Lauren Lehane (University College Cork), Hader Serour (Technological University Dublin), Deirdre Campbell (Maynooth University) and Arthur McKey (Trinity College Dublin).

SUSIs Applicants should be highly motivated undergraduate students from institutions of higher education in Ireland. Students must be between 18 and 25 years old and have at least 1 semester of undergraduate studies remaining following their return from the U.S.

The Deadline for applications is 4pm on 6 January 2020. Please see the SUSIs page on our website for further information on eligibility and application instructions.