Access Knowledge.

Access the World.

OVERVIEW PRESENTATION

FALL 2014

AMERICAN COUNCILS
International
NGO focused on
study abroad,
training, and
critical
languages
Recognized as
leader in
research on
foreign
language
learning and
overseas
immersion

Over 40 years
experience
Provides input to
U.S. and foreign
government policy
setting supporting
international
education
Works in the
former Soviet
Union, Eurasia,
Asia, Eastern
Europe, the Middle
East, South
America, and
Africa

Funded by the
U.S. government
as the gold
standard in
design and
implementation of
U.S. bound
exchange
programs

Manages
programs in
over 60
countries on 5
continents

MISSION & VISION

Mission
A leader in international education, academic
exchange, and overseas language immersion,
American Councils creates opportunities that
prepare individuals and institutions to succeed
in an increasingly interconnected world.

Vision
American Councils is committed to helping
build a world of globally competent citizens,
successful institutions, and responsible
nations.

HISTORY
1974
Founded as ACTR to advance the Russian field in the U.S. and to foster international collaboration

1986
First reciprocal programs start; ACCELS established to administer inbound student and teacher programs to the
U.S.

1989
Presidential High School Exchange places thousands of American and Russian students in host-country
schools and home stays in USSR and the U.S.

1992
FREEDOM Support Act Programs begins

2004

Flagship Overseas Language Programs begin, subsequent addition of high school (NSLI-Y) and university (CLS)
programs

2005
Kosovo-American Education Fund is started

2006
First programs in China established

2009
EURECA program begins

OUR CORE
VALUES
Support international education and research.
Advance the study and teaching of world languages and
cultures.
Deliver only the highest quality educational programs.
Provide access to people from diverse backgrounds.
Provide necessary support structure and tools to ensure
educational quality and outcomes.
Recognize our employees as our most valuable asset.
Develop and nurture lasting global partnerships.
Evaluate performance to ensure success.
Respect all cultures and peoples.
Operate with fairness, transparency, and accountability.

What Makes Us Special

CLEAR DIFFERENTIATORS

WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL:

WE PUT ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER
Expert
Staf
Geographic
Reach

On-The-Ground
Infrastructure

Extensive
Experience

Respected
Leadership
Deep Ties
With Local
Institution
s

Institutional
Partners

RESPECTED LEADERSHIP
American Councils is a respected
authority on international education.
American Councils is a globally recognized expert in
international education, asked to sponsor or present at
hundreds of prominent industry events each year.

Thursday July 29, 2010, American Councils Board Chairman

Richard Brecht and President Dan Davidson were invited to
testify before a Senate Committee with David Chu, former
Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness at the U.S.
Department of Defense, on the governments role in
making language learning a national priority.

GEOGRAPHIC REACH

Afghanistan
Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
BosniaHerzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cameroon
China
Croatia
Egypt
Estonia
Gaza
Georgia
Ghana
India
Indonesia
Israel (Arab
Communities)
Japan
Jordan

Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Lithuania
Macedonia
Malaysia
Mali
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Nepal
Nigeria

Oman
Palestinian Territories
Pakistan
Philippines
Poland

Qatar
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Suriname

Ukraine
United States
Uzbekistan
West Bank
Yemen

Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan

more than 60
we operate in

countries
around the
world

ON THE GROUND OVERSEAS

INFRASTRUCTURE
Senior Staff Support Overseas
Country Directors in Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine
Country Representatives in Albania, BosniaHerzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Kosovo, Macedonia,
Montenegro
Regional Representative in Lithuania
Regional Directors in Serbia and Kazakhstan

we have

30
+
overseas

we employ
more than

40
0

Unparalleled On-The-Ground
In
staff Staff
members
Country
around the world

75% of our staff work in countries where we have

programs
Overseas staff are proficient in the local
languages and cultures, with years of in-country
experience
Resident Directors work directly with U.S. and
foreign student groups in over 20 countries

EMERGENCY SUPPORT
We handle the challenges that come with participants
overseas.

Travel support company that provides 24-hour

assistance, emergency re-booking, and evacuation
services
24-hour emergency and crisis support in country
Our responsibility reduces the risk and liability
assumed by partner institutions sending
participants abroad

DOMESTIC INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

we
maintain
partnership
s
with approximately

1,00
0
higher-education
institutions in the
U.S. Academy of Art,
Cranbrook
Michigan, U.S.

OVERSEAS ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

We maintain partnerships with hundreds of highereducation institutions around the world.
Afghanistan

11

Indonesia

Romania

Albania

Israel

Russia

59

Algeria

Italy

Serbia

Jordan

South Africa

Armenia

10

Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan

South Korea

Bangladesh

Kosovo

Switzerland

Belarus

Kyrgyzstan

Syria

Bosnia/Herzegovina

Lithuania

Tajikistan

15

Brazil

Macedonia

Tanzania

Bulgaria

Moldova

Taiwan

Canada

Montenegro

Thailand

Morocco

Turkey

2
2

China

13

10

Croatia

Nepal

Turkmenistan

Egypt

Nigeria

Ukraine

Georgia

19

Oman

Uzbekistan

Hungary

Pakistan

13
6

DEEP TIES OVERSEAS

We have the institutional connections required for smooth
operations.

GOVERNMENT

American Councils has decades of established relationships with government officials and
politicians that provide us with access and the ability to operate effectively.
Our President has been hosted by national Presidents all over the world.
American Councils has hosted numerous country Presidents in the U.S.
Our senior management sits on the boards of international partner institutions and global
international education organizations.

INDUSTRY
American Councils has ties with local companies and businesses overseas. We work with
these businesses to train workers and create internship programs .

NONPROFITS
American Councils maintains relationships with nonprofits around the world, including
organizations that were founded by American Councils alumni, now social entrepreneurs.

What We Do
STREAMS OF ACTIVITY

ACTIVITY STREAMS

Professional
Training
(Pre-and Inservice)

Outreach, Field
Development
and Advocacy

Immersion
Learning and
International
Student
Mobility

International
Development in
Education and
Consulting
Curriculum,
Assessment
Dev, Publishing

Support of Field
Research and
Evaluation

PROGRAM
Higher Education programs
ACTIVITY

Professional Training
Teacher and Faculty Training
Youth Exchange

SECONDARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Future Leaders Exchange Program
(FLEX)

PROGRAM
GOALS:

Scholarships for students from Eurasia to

study in U.S. high schools for an academic
year

Learn about the U.S.

Generate enduring ties with
Americans

Youth Exchange and Study

Program (YES)

Teach Americans about the

culture of their home countries

Scholarships to high school students from

39 countries with significant Muslim
populations to study in the U.S. for up to a
year

Share what theyve learned and

experienced in the U.S. with their
home communities

American Serbia and Montenegro

Youth Leadership Exchange
(A-SMYLE)
A program for Serbian and Montenegrin
high school students

Exchanges for Culture, Education,

and Leadership (ExCEL)
Provides Lithuanian high school students
with one year of academic study in the U.S

Youth Leadership Programs (YLP)

Short term exchanges between high

school students in the U.S and countries
like Azerbaijan, Serbia, Belarus

EDUCATOR PROGRAMS
U.S. Central Asia Education Fund
Professional development
programs for university
instructors
Focus on curriculum and
teaching methodology
Promote lasting professional
ties between faculty around
the world

Teachers of Critical Languages

(TCLP)
English teachers from China and
Egypt
Support of critical language
development (Arabic, Chinese)
Develop international partnerships
for U.S. schools

HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Fellowship Programs
Kosovo-American Education Fund
Tatarstan Higher Education Program
U.S.-Central Asian Education Foundation
AMZ Afghan Fellowship Program

University Development
European Humanities University
American University of Central Asia

Educational Advising Centers

Access to U.S. higher education in 68
centers across Eurasia

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
Open World Leadership Program
Mostly non-English speaking
Young to mid-level professionals
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia,
Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine
Short-term visits to the U.S.
Rule of Law, Social Issues, Accountable Governance, Cultural
Leaders, and Civil-society related themes
Over 23,000 alumni
Goal: to create ongoing partnerships with U.S. hosts

Study Tours
Short-term educational
programs
Professional focus

Professional Fellows Programs

Month-long internships for young professionals
Empower Program for professionals working in disabilities fields

OVERSEAS PROGRAMS FOR AMERICANS

Outbound Programs
Scholarly and Pre-Doctoral field research,
archival, advanced research
Intensive language study for university
students
and professionals for summer, semester,
and academic year
Individual teaching placements, internships

Flagship Overseas Language

Programs
Advanced training in Arabic, Chinese,
French/Wolof, Russian, Swahili, Turkish

NSLI-Youth Program
Summer and academic year fellowships for
high school students : Arabic, Chinese,
Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, Turkish

CLS Program
Fully funded intensive summer language programs for
U.S. undergraduate and graduate students studying
Azerbaijani, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Indonesian,
Korean, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Punjabi, Urdu, and
Bangla

ENHANCING UNIVERSITY RESEARCH

AND ENTREPRENEURIAL CAPACITY
Project Tech Transfer and
Research Commercialization
The EURECA Program
Aims to strengthen Russian university capacity in applied and translational research and
technology transfer
Focuses on building university capacity at Russian National Research Universities
Develops US and Russian university partnerships for commercializing intellectual capital and
enhancing research collaboration
Funded by the US Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law (USRF)

American Councils
Identifies and seeds long-term sustainable innovation-based partnerships between U.S. and
Russian institutions
Organizes and advances bilateral connections around research commercialization through the
US-Russia Innovation Corridor (USRIC)
Connects Russian startups to universities, regional economic development organizations, and
businesses in the United States

FOLLOW-ON
ALUMNI
PROGRAMMING
Extensive activities
Professional development
Funding for associations
Focus on community
service
Internship programs
Global Youth Service Day

EDUCATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS:
TESTING AND
ASSESSMENT
Georgia
National Assessment Exam, University
Entrance Exam, development of GRE/GMAT
equivalent exam

Kyrgyzstan
Unified State College Entrance Exams

Russia
Unified State Exam

Ukraine
University Entrance Exam

U.S.
Partnerships with ETS, Prometric, CFA,
LSAT and others

OTHER INITIATIVES
We also operative a diverse array of other programs.
Scholarly Research and Evaluation
We conduct and publish research on language acquisition, assessment and immersion learning, including:
Russian language acquisition and performance research
A FIPSE-funded project on the impact of short-term curriculum-based study abroad
Research on the accuracy of national tests in predicting freshman college performance
Pre and post program evaluations and assessment

Testing & Assessment

We partner with institutions on testing and assessment initiatives. These include:
Test Development
The College Board (Prototype AP Russian Exam)
Online language assessment conducted for many languages
Test Administration
Educational Testing
Service (ETS)
Prometric (computerbased exams)
CFA
LSAT
Professional exam

Language Acquisition

Fluent Operations
HOW WE RUN OUR BUSINESS

AMERICAN COUNCILS STRATEGIC PLAN

PRIMARY SOURCES OF FUNDING

U.S. Government
Department of State
Department of Education
Open World Center at the Library of
Congress
National Endowment for the
Humanities
NSEP
USAID
U.S. embassies around the world

Individuals
Alumni, volunteers, staff, and other
supporters

Businesses
Travel House/Skylink
Biakanova and Associates

Other Partners
Foreign governments

Foundations
U.S. Russia Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation
Open Society Foundations
Carnegie Corporation
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Hundreds of colleges and community colleges

World Bank
Transparency International
World Connect
World Education Services
OPORA Civic Union
Many others

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

The Marketing Department is Focused On:
Building American Councils global brand identity and
awareness
Creating the organizations strategic marketing direction
Establishing the organization as a thought leader in its field
Promoting the organization, its strengths, and differentiators
relative to other players in our field
Creating new markets in which we can provide our services
Providing AC departments with marketing support to promote
their programs
Implementing promotional vehicles to accomplish the above
including video productions, collateral material development,
photography, website, and social media

DEVELOPMENT AND FUNDRAISING

Our philanthropic focus is to
educate, inform, and build
relationships with people and
organizations interested in
partnering with American
Councils to expand the
educational options of students,
teachers, government officials,
and countries we serve.
Our philanthropic funders are:

American Councils Board members

Corporations and foundations
American Councils employees
American Councils corporate partners
Major-planned giving donors
Foreign philanthropic donors
Foreign corporate partners

A GREAT PLACE TO WORK

American Councils was named one of the
Top 50 Non-Profits to work for in 2011
AND 2013, based on a national survey.
The survey was sponsored by the NonProfit Times and conducted by Best
Companies Group.
Organizational Culture:
Passionate and dedicated staff
Strong work ethic
Highly trained and creative thinkers
Global teams

Contact