Giving Opportunities

Support students' dreams with our General Scholarship Fund at IES Abroad. Your donation empowers aspiring minds to embark on life-changing study abroad experiences. Whether it's exploring new cultures or pursuing academic passions, your contribution ensures financial barriers don't hinder their journey. Join us in fostering global education and making dreams a reality. Donate today to create opportunities that last a lifetime.

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In September 1950, 23 American students boarded the SS Volendam to begin their journey to Vienna where they would spend the next year living and studying in the Austrian capital.  Paul Koutny, an idealistic Austrian student who envisioned the project together with Clarence and Alberta Giese, who were two of the original 23 students, launched the Institute for European Studies -- now IES Abroad -- from these humble beginnings.  “The Clarence and Alberta Giese Endowed Scholarship” honors the Gieses and was established in recognition of the 60th anniversary of IES Abroad in 2010. The endowed scholarship fund provides financial aid for need-based scholarships to students attending IES Abroad - Vienna.

The late Paul Koutny, along with Clarence and Alberta Giese, founded IES Abroad in 1950 and enrolled 23 American students. Held as a political prisoner by the Nazis at the age of 17 for his activity in the anti-Nazi underground, Paul dedicated himself to rebuilding Austria after World War II. It was his year abroad at St. Thomas University, sponsored by the Fulbright Commission in 1949, that inspired his ambitious dream: the founding of an organization that would create life-changing experiences for young Americans and help bridge the cultural divide between two continents.

In the early years, Brita assisted Paul in coordinating activities in Vienna and ran the kitchen at NeuerMarkt 1.  In the ensuing 60+ years, over 85,000 students have studied with IES Abroad.  Paul remained involved as the Director of the Extension Division which ran customized programs and musical tours at IES Abroad until the early 1970’s.  In an April 1953 article in Today, Paul said, “The main idea of the Institute [IES Abroad] is to create a better understanding between the two continents and to exchange cultural advantages with each other.”

Frau Benesch has devoted over 55 years of her life teaching students in the IES Abroad Vienna program. She began working at IES Abroad Vienna as a chaperone and art history instructor as student groups arrived by boat to tour Europe before arriving in Vienna. Over the years, she has accompanied countless groups of students on their educational spring break tours to Italy, Prague, and Budapest as well as summer tours to Spain. Frau Benesch officially joined the IES Abroad faculty in 1964 as an Art History Professor and has left a profound impact on hundreds of U.S. college students and their view of classical art. She has taught a number of courses at IES Abroad Vienna in the Art History Department including:  Art Analysis I & II, Renaissance Art, Introduction to Modern Art, and Baroque Art. Throughout her years at IES Abroad, Frau Benesch has been recognized for her dedication and was awarded the Long-Time Faculty Award in 2010. 

Frau Benesch's high academic standards and devotion to teaching have inspired countless students. We are pleased to honor her tireless commitment to IES Abroad Vienna students through the Dr. Roswitha Benesch Endowed Scholarship.

The Hemera Foundation Summer Social Impact Internship Scholarship was initiated by the Hemera Foundation, whose mission is to foster basic human goodness in individuals and society. This Scholarship, which will be sustained through a foundation collaborative, aims to inspire students to make a social impact through summer internships within philanthropic or direct service/social service organizations.

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Ezio Vergani lives in Milan, Italy. Ezio is the former Chair of the IES Abroad Board of Directors and has served as member of the Board since 1994. When he was a high school student in Italy, Ezio was awarded a scholarship by AFS International (American Field Service) to study his senior year at Schozing High School in Florida. In response to his own life-changing experience, he created the Vergani Scholarship at IES Abroad.

Ezio is an entrepreneur and his company, ASCO Pompe S.r.l., manufactures industrial equipment for energy-related applications worldwide. Headquartered in Milan, their production facilities are located in Italy, France, and China. Fiammetta was a freelance journalist writing for tourism and convention business magazines. She was also a media representative in Italy for organizations in the travel and convention business.

Through this scholarship, Ezio and Fiammetta intended to provide college students with the opportunity to have a similar transformational and exciting study abroad experience.

Barbara Barker is an alumna of the University of South Carolina, and a member of the IES Abroad Vienna Class of 1968-69. Her year in Vienna, in which she discovered a passion for European art, music, culture, and travel with classmates, was life changing. Barbara passed away from a medical condition in Vienna in 1970, cutting short her new-found direction and purpose. Her father, George A. Barker, Jr., recognized the value of a global, cross-cultural experience both through Barbara’s experience, as well as through his work as the European Import/Export Representative for the Bethlehem Steel Company. He, along with David H. Hartz, Barbara’s stepbrother, have established this Scholarship to honor the valuable impact of study abroad.

John and Ann Gearen live in Oak Park, Illinois. They have successfully encouraged all three of their children to study internationally. John served on the Board of Directors of IES Abroad from 1981-2016, as Chair of the Board from 1999-2004, and has served on the Emeritus Board since 2017. John had been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1965 and in response to his own life-changing experience at Oxford in the years 1965-1967, and his years of serving on the Board of IES Abroad as it flourished over the years, he and Ann established this Scholarship.

John and Ann believe that a study abroad experience is a transformational experience, and are delighted to provide this Scholarship to provide that opportunity for college students.

The Hemera Foundation Summer Social Impact Internship Scholarship was initiated by the Hemera Foundation, whose mission is to foster basic human goodness in individuals and society. This Scholarship, which will be sustained through a foundation collaborative, aims to inspire students to make a social impact through summer internships within philanthropic or direct service/social service organizations.

Support this fund

Barbara Barker is an alumna of the University of South Carolina, and a member of the IES Abroad Vienna Class of 1968-69. Her year in Vienna, in which she discovered a passion for European art, music, culture, and travel with classmates, was life changing. Barbara passed away from a medical condition in Vienna in 1970, cutting short her new-found direction and purpose. Her father, George A. Barker, Jr., recognized the value of a global, cross-cultural experience both through Barbara’s experience, as well as through his work as the European Import/Export Representative for the Bethlehem Steel Company. He, along with David H. Hartz, Barbara’s stepbrother, have established this Scholarship to honor the valuable impact of study abroad.