Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway is speaking out in favor of a proposal to create a national fellowship program that would increase the number of students studying abroad.

Hemenway urged Congress to pass the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007, which would increase the number of students studying abroad to 1 million per year. Presently, about 200,000 U.S. undergraduate students study abroad each year.

KU ranks eighth in the nation among public research universities in the percentage of undergraduate students who study abroad. About one-fourth of all KU students complete international study by the time they graduate.

“Study abroad gives students a great understanding that will help them compete and lead in a global marketplace,” Hemenway said in a statement.

“KU has excellent programs on campus to prepare students for the international economic and political environment they will live in. Study abroad is a vital component that greatly enhances their education.”