For Dr. Eddie Boucher, associate director of MSU’s Center for Integrative Studies, studying abroad isn’t just an academic experience. It’s a transformative opportunity that should be accessible to every student, regardless of circumstance or background.
As a winner of the College of Social Science’s 2025 Dean’s Institutional Access Small Grant Program, Dr. Boucher is using his $5,000 award to continue a project close to his heart: supporting underrepresented students in MSU’s education abroad programs.
Dr. Boucher, who leads a study abroad program in India, has spent years researching barriers to access and presenting his findings at conferences. He’s seen firsthand how costs (tuition, program fees, and transportation) can prevent students from even thinking that studying abroad is a possibility. “For many students, it’s not just out of reach,” he said. “It's not even a consideration.”
His project, titled Supporting Education Abroad for Underrepresented Students, is designed to change that. Through proactive outreach and deliberate recruiting, Dr. Boucher has worked to make his India program more inclusive, especially for students in the Interdisciplinary Studies major. With previous support from a Lilly Fellowship, he was able to offer travel grants to MSU students interested in the India program, but that funding ran out. This new grant allows him to offer five additional $1,000 stipends, extending the opportunity to more students who might not otherwise be able to participate.
Dr. Boucher’s passion is rooted in the belief that diversity makes study abroad programs stronger. “Our programs are immeasurably better when they reflect the diversity of our campus,” he said. “Intercultural exchange is fundamental, not just for students, but for the communities we engage with abroad.”
Daniela De Leon, a 2024 interdisciplinary studies in social science graduate and program participant, echoed this sentiment: “I think one of the biggest things was working with other people who have different cultural experiences from me... you are actively learning about a different side of the world.”
Dr. Boucher’s India program is rigorous and immersive, blending cultural studies with purpose. Students collaborate with local institutions and communities, engaging in intercultural exchange while conducting research and producing a documentary film. They do everything from researching subjects to filming and editing to data analysis and public presentation. The curriculum itself is active and experiential: even weekend excursions become opportunities to shoot additional footage and deepen cross-cultural understanding. Through this work, students expand their worldview and connect with people and perspectives they might never have encountered otherwise.
“It’s not for the faint of heart,” Dr. Boucher noted. “But the growth students experience is incredible. They come back saying, ‘Now I feel like I can do anything.’”
Taylor Banks, a 2024 psychology graduate and past participant, shared a similar reflection: “Being in this program has definitely made me feel like I can do anything... I feel like I can go to school in any other country, besides just America. This is my first step doing something outside of the box of what everybody else at home is used to me doing.”
For Dr. Boucher, the impact goes beyond MSU. Exit interviews with international partners reveal a shared excitement and sense of connection. “Once students realize that people halfway around the world are just like them, that’s when the magic happens,” he said. “We start to see our shared humanity yet appreciate the differences that make life amazing.”