Back in November 2003, former Sen. Paul Simon stopped by the Tribune to talk up an idea: Send a half million U.S. students to study overseas each year. Don’t let them all congregate in London and Paris and take courses in English–encourage them to study in developing nations instead.
Simon died 19 days later. That prompted an editorial in which we praised his “last campaign” and suggested a single change in the proposal: It should bear his name.
Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), the chairman and ranking minority member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have introduced legislation to create the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007.
What a great idea.
They’re calling for the creation of a government-sponsored foundation to administer a study-abroad program that would put more emphasis on the experience and less on the classroom.
The goal would be to send 1 million U.S. students each year to parts of the world that will play an increasingly pivotal role in American business and foreign policy. Topping the list: China, the Middle East, and other developing nations.
America will need a young workforce that has a broad knowledge of the world beyond the traditional capitals of Europe. Congress has a chance to promote that, and to honor one of Illinois’ finest citizens.
