About the Institute of International Education

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1919, IIE has 19 offices worldwide, over 850 college and university IIENetwork members, and more than 5,000 volunteers.

IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. These programs include the Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowships, administered for the U.S. Department of State, and the People, Energy, and Development program administered for USAID. IIE also conducts policy research, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.

IIE's goals are:

- to promote closer educational relations between the people of the United States and other countries

- to increase the number of students, scholars and professionals who have the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research outside of their own country

- to strengthen and internationalize institutions of higher learning throughout the world

- to foster sustainable development through training programs in energy, environment, business management, and leadership development

- to partner with corporations, foundations, and governments in finding and developing people able to think and work on a global basis

A Brief History of IIE

IIE was established in 1919, in the aftermath of World War I, by Nicholas Murray Butler, President of Columbia University, Elihu Root, former Secretary of State, and Stephen Duggan, Sr., Professor of Political Science at the College of the City of New York and IIE's first President. They believed that there could be no lasting peace without greater understanding between nations—and that international educational exchange formed the strongest basis for fostering such understanding.

The Institute was created to act as a catalyst for educational exchange. It met a real need for a central point of contact and source of information both for U.S. higher education and for foreign nations interested in establishing educational relations with the United States.

Institute of International Education

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