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$100,000 in new scholarship money is available for OU students who are studying abroad.

OU President David Boren announced the bump in study abroad program Tuesday, saying he hopes to increase the number of OU students studying abroad by 50 percent over the next four years.

Currently, about 700 Sooners study abroad each year, so the new scholarship money could help bring that number to more than 1,000, or about one fifth of each class at OU.

Jay Doyle, press secretary and special assistant to the president, said the scholarship money was being drawn from funds raised by the president's Campaign for Scholarships, which began in 2005. The money is available immediately and can be taken advantage of by students currently in the process of applying for summer or fall 2009 study abroad programs.

"Living with and having relationships with only Americans is a thing of the past," Boren said in a press release. "Global experiences are essential to meet our responsiblity to our students. We must assure them the opportunity to have an international living experience."