Thirteen EKU students will enjoy the educational experience of a lifetime this summer as recipients of the University's Millennium Fellow Scholarship.

Each recipient received a $500 scholarship to apply toward his or her studies abroad this summer. Forty-nine EKU students applied for the scholarship, which is awarded based on academic promise and need. All the recipients have GPAs of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

The scholarship recipients are: Daniele DiGiancomo, Leigh Land, Gregory Myers, Richmond; Audrey Combs, Katisha Kabalen, Lexington; Leah Bayens, Bradfordsville; Sarah Bryant, Danville; James Bullock, Mt. Vernon; Robert Daniel, Corbin; Jessica Edwards, Cumberland; Sarah Hiner, Winchester; Kelly Human, Mariba; and Steven Wilson, Fort Thomas.

Their studies will span about six weeks and several countries, including Ireland, France, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Greece, Austria and Ecuador.

Dr. Dan Robinette, chair of the University's Millennium Committee, said he has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students after they returned from studying abroad.

"Travel abroad, even for a short period of time, has changed lives completely," Robinette said. "It puts students into a culture where often they are a minority and forces them to re-examine their own ideals, beliefs and values."

International studies are more important than ever, Robinette said, because of an increasingly global economy.

"Many international people are flowing into Kentucky," he noted, "but, still, most of our students haven't been able to experience total immersion in a different culture." In fact, not one of this year's scholarship recipients has visited a foreign country.

EKU's membership in KIIS and the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) reduces a student's tuition for foreign studies, but travel and living expenses can still run $2,000-$3,500, according to Robinette. Other scholarships and forms of financial aid also are available.

The four-member, interdisciplinary Millennium Committee was established at EKU in 2000 to plan events that heighten global awareness and emphasize the University's commitment to international education and the internationalization of the University's curriculum.

For more information about the Millennium Fellow Scholarship, call Robinette at 859-622-2408.