Aiden Yoon wanted to study abroad but needed financial help to achieve that goal.

The 19-year-old University of Toledo sophomore nursing major, minoring in chemistry, heard about the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, and over the summer he began writing essays and working on other application requirements.

His efforts were rewarded when he received a $4,000 scholarship from the program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. This month, he’ll leave for a semester at Korea University in Seoul, where his grandparents live.

The university hopes to replicate Mr. Yoon’s scholarship success with its Competitive Awards Initiative, an effort launched this academic year that aims to help UT students and faculty pursue prestigious fellowships and awards, such the Fulbright and Rhodes scholarships.

Mr. Yoon learned about the Gilman scholarship through UT’s study abroad office, and a professor helped proofread his essay.

It’s possible for students to pursue such opportunities on their own, as he largely did, though the university-led initiative should make it easier.

“I think that will definitely be helpful. There is actually quite a bit of information out there; it is sometimes overwhelming,” he said.

The Competitive Awards Initiative bloomed from a fortuitous set of circumstances. Last winter, Sammy Spann, assistant provost for international studies and programs, started thinking about ways to encourage more competitive awards at UT. 

After participating in an all-expense paid Fulbright International Education Administrators seminar in Japan, Mr. Spann’s belief in the importance of such opportunities grew. 

Then, UT’s new president, Sharon Gaber, arrived on campus in July and made it a goal to lift the university’s prestige and reputation. 

One way to do that is through high-profile awards.

“I would call that our academic Super Bowl. We get a chance to have our students and faculty members be seen and revered as someone who is doing wonderful things,” Mr. Spann said.

The initiative is housed in the Center for International Studies and Programs and is run by employees, chiefly Mr. Spann and Diane Engbretson, the center’s assistant director, with input from faculty.

Some help had been offered elsewhere on campus, but the new effort pulls together disparate resources into one place and makes a concerted attempt to increase the number of students applying for awards.

The university identified 280 students who might be eligible for awards based on grade-point average and other factors. 

The initiative sent letters to those students and offers a one-time $50 incentive to students who complete applications.

Students can get help finding scholarship opportunities and completing applications, often a lengthy and labor-intensive process that can include obtaining transcripts, writing essays, and creating a plan for a research project, Ms. Engbretson said.

Organizers met with university officials in the colleges of nursing and engineering, as well as other groups, to get the word out about the initiative’s services.

By the time the initiative got up and running in earnest, the October application deadline for many awards had passed. Mr. Spann and Ms. Engbretson hope to have students ready for spring deadlines and many more submissions prepped for next fall’s application round.

They also plan to gather information about previous UT faculty and students who have won big awards. Those numbers aren’t yet tracked, Mr. Spann said, though he thinks they are low.

This year, three UT students applied for Fulbright scholarships and are waiting to find out if they were successful.

Many competitive awards offer students a chance to study abroad. Mr. Yoon, who is fluent in Korean, wants to work with UT’s study abroad office when he returns to encourage more students, especially science majors, to study outside the United States.

“Every person should have the opportunity to go overseas and to get that international experience, to see what it’s like ... because we’re becoming more and more of an international community,” Ms. Engbretson said.

Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.

First Published January 4, 2016, 5:00 a.m.