West Liberty University is pleased to welcome a new international student, Marupzhan Semyatov from Kazakhstan, as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Eurasia & Central Asia (Global UGRAD).

The Global UGRAD Program aims t

o advance youth leadership and promote mutual understanding by providing one year of non-degree U.S. study to undergraduates from 12 countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition to their academic studies, Global UGRAD fellows perform community service, explore American traditions and hold a one-semester internship.

The Global UGRAD program receives over 3,000 applications per year with a five percent rate of acceptance. The Global UGRAD is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affair

s (ECA) of the Department of State and is administered by the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX). Since 1992, nearly 4,000 participants h

ave completed the program on more than 140 campuses throughout the United States.

The ECA of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between citizens of the United States and of other countries to promote friendly, sympathetic, and peaceful relations, as mandated by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchanges Act of 1961. ECA accomplishes its mission through a range of programs based on the ben

efits of mutual understanding, international educational and cultural exchange, and leadership development. For more information about ECA exchanges, visit http://exchanges.state.gov.

IREX is an international nonprofit organization providing leadership and innovative programs to improve the quality of education, strengthen independent media, and foster pluralistic civil society development. Founded in 1968, IREX has an annual portfolio of $60 million and a staff of over 500 professionals worldwide. IREX and its partner IREX Europe deliver cross-cutting programs and consulting expertise in more than 100 countries. For more information about IREX, visit www.irex.org.

For more information on the Global UGRAD Program at WLU, please contact Mihaela Szabo, Coordinator of International Student Recruiting, at 304-33

6-8270 or mszabo@westliberty.edu