JERUSALEM, October 24, 2017 (WAFA) – US Consul General Donald Blome Tuesday launched the #PalStudyUSA2018 campaign in Ramallah to encourage more Palestinian students to study in the United States, said a press release issued by the U.S. Consulate General’s Press Office in Jerusalem.

The campaign will include social media outreach to identify Palestinian participants for an elite “boot camp” examining all aspects of study in the U.S., a series of week-long information sessions with Amideast at American Spaces in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Salfeet, Nablus, and Gaza; and a series of television, print, and social media stories by Palestinian journalists on Palestinian students studying in the United States which will air later this year.

The sessions, for potential students and their parents, will focus on admissions, testing, and financial aid, highlighting the ongoing educational advising services provided by the Consulate’s partner Amideast.

Consul General Blome announced a number of new higher education cooperation initiatives at the event, including a $1 million project funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative to support cooperation between Notre Dame and Palestinian university partners to build a shared research hub; a $400,000 project between Palestine Polytechnic University and University of Michigan to promote critical thinking and entrepreneurship; and a $100,000 Tech Camp with the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs and Partners for Sustainable Development to build teams of university students that will tackle problems provided by Palestinian businesses.

The Consul General noted, “education provides hope; education grows the economy; and education builds Palestinian civil society and business as a vehicle for peace and prosperity.”

Speaking on the #PalStudyUSA2018 campaign, he noted the virtues of the U.S. model, saying:  “the U.S. higher education system is one of the best in the world, with a focus on intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and innovation.”

T.R.