Welcome to the Study of the United States Institute (SUSI)!

In collaboration with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State (DoS) and the Academy for Educational Development, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) will host a Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) for Student Leaders from South Asia as part of a broader DoS program designed to promote a better understanding of the U.S. abroad and to help develop future world leaders.  The UAHuntsville Office of International Programs and Services (OIPS) has organized a program that includes the study of U.S. democracy, race relations, gender issues, and religious diversity and tolerance.  Twenty student guests from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan will also have the opportunity to experience Huntsville’s hospitality and recreational opportunities. This is UAHuntsville's second SUSI program; the OIPS conducted a SUSI for Chinese student leaders in 2008.

A total of six institutes take place concurrently across the country. Theapproximately 120 participatingstudent leaders will arrive in the United States in late June to take part in a five-week program atselect institutions.The program culminates in aconference in Washington, DC, where the students make presentations highlighting their learning and experiences. The U.S. State Department is supplying the grant under the Fulbright-Hays Act with the purpose “to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Participating institutions include UAHuntsville; Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; University of Minnesota; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Nazareth College and Green River Community College.

The SUSI for Student Leaders is designed by the Study of the U.S. Branch in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to promote a better understanding of the U.S. abroad and to help develop future world leaders.  Institute participants are among the more than 40,000 academic and professional exchange program participants overseen annually by ECA.  Other ECA programs include the Fulbright Program and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.  For more information about ECA programs, visit http://exchanges.state.gov/ .