Christopher Cone, a UALR sophomore in media production with a minor in international studies, has received a Benjamin Gilman Scholarship and a Freeman Asia Scholarship for his UALR Study Abroad Exchange Program in Chengdu, China.

Cone, a 2006 graduate of Jacksonville High School, began his study of Mandarin at UALR in 2010 and plans to continue with the language at UALR’s exchange partner school, Sichuan University, during the 2011-2012 academic year.

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad and was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. The scholarship provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad programs worldwide.

Freeman-ASIA – Freeman Awards for Study in Asia – is designed to support American undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study overseas in East or Southeast Asia.  The program’s goal is to increase the number of Americans with first-hand exposure to and understanding of Asia and its peoples and cultures.

To find out about UALR study abroad opportunities, contact Aimee M. Jones, coordinator of the Programs Abroad division in the Office of International Services in Room 101 in the Old Education Building near Ross Hall.

Study Abroad Information Sessions are held weekly at 10 a.m Tuesdays and 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Deadline for applying to study abroad are: Sept. 15 for spring programs, Feb. 15 for summer study, and March 15 for fall programs. Deadlines for faculty-led study vary. For more information contact: studyabroad@ualr.edu.