Looking for Annotated Bibliographies on Education Abroad Related Topics?

...then look no further!  You can access (almost) all that I have compiled or have been involved with via the following NAFSA webpage:

Happy Researching!  (Yes, I know some of the links need updating! I can't solve that at the moment!)

Decisions, decisions, decisions....

I received some new hats today...stay tuned!

Many thanks Troy Peden!

Open Position: Director, Education Abroad – Columbia College Chicago

Columbia College Chicago is looking for a highly motivated and results driven person to join our team! Under the broad direction of the Assistant Provost for Global Education, the Director of Education Abroad designs and develops study abroad opportunities, exchange programs and faculty-led study abroad programs. The Director manages all aspects of the operations of the Office of Education Abroad, such as advising, risk management, communication, program marketing and timely and accurate records and data management. This position focuses on increased participation, curriculum integration, enhancement of services, including incorporating of technology, and expansion of diversity and inclusion. The role interfaces with students and their families, faculty and staff, and external partners.

To learn more about Columbia College Chicago please visit:  https://about.colum.edu/index.html

To access the full job description and application link please visit:  http://bit.ly/2LyCLws

Up early doing some side project work...

...and here is my view this morning ~7:34am of some of the mountains just outside of Pojoaque, New Mexico!

Some sage advice for students going abroad found in this "Romano Tours" SNL skit with Adam Sandler

The Global Education Team (minus our Director of ISSS and 3 student workers) at Columbia College Chicago

Former Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), April 4, 1932 – April 28, 2019

With the passing of former Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), former Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, it seems appropriate to post this brief video of him talking about the YES Program's 15th Anniversary back on January 26, 2018.



From the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program website:

The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program was established by Congress in October 2002 in response to the events of September 11, 2001. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of State and sponsored by the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA) to provide scholarships for high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the United States. Students live with host families, attend high schools, engage in activities to learn about American society and values, acquire leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures. Starting in 2009, the YES Abroad program was established in order to provide a similar experience for U.S. students (15-18 years) to spend an academic year in select YES countries.

More on the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) available at https://www.yesprograms.org/

My daughter and her friends in Lima, Peru

After a flight delay on Sunday and an unexpected night in a hotel in Panama City, Panama my daughter and her are now in Lima, Peru and spent their first night with their host families last night!

My 17 year old daughter is off on a nine day exchange to Peru!

Yesterday, my daughter drove our family through a blizzard to O’Hare where she is off to Lima, Peru for nine days on an exchange through her summer theater program. Will be able to post about her host family at a later date!

In the summer between 7th and 8th grade she participated on an eleven day service-learning trip to Ecuador through her middle school and you can see more about that trip here and here!

Nominations for the 2019 GoAbroad Innovation Awards are due April 11th at 11:59PM MST!

GoAbroad is again accepting nominations for their annual Innovation Awards which are handed out at the GoAbroad reception during the NAFSA Annual Conference! 

The GoAbroad Innovation Awards are divided into the following categories:

• *NEW* Innovation in Cultural Immersion, Sponsored by StudentUniverse
• *NEW* Innovative TEFL / Teach Abroad Program
• Innovation in Diversity
• Innovation in Marketing & Digital Media
• Innovative New Intern Abroad Program
• Innovative New Study Abroad Program
• Innovative New Volunteer Abroad Program
• Innovative Technology
• Innovation in Sustainability
• Innovation in Philanthropy, Sponsored by the GoAbroad Foundation
• Innovation in Alumni Engagement
• Innovative Student Video
• People’s Choice

You can learn more about the categories and submit your nominations at https://blog.goabroad.com/innovation-awards/.

3.5 week "Summer Documentary Projects Intensive" at Columbia College Chicago for International Students

International students who are not currently enrolled at Columbia College Chicago and have completed at least one year of university may be interested in our 3.5 week "Summer Documentary Projects Intensive" program. Learn more at www.colum.edu/doc-intensive

"The Historical Evolution of U.S. Students Conducting Research Abroad"

Photo taken of book information found in the "NAFSA Publications: Essential Resources for International Educators" (Spring 2019) booklet

Forthcoming Book "Undergraduate Research Abroad: Approaches, Models, and Challenges" (Fall 2019) edited by Kate Patch & Louis Berends and published by Stylus and NAFSA.

My chapter "The Historical Evolution of U.S. Students Conducting Research Abroad" will hopefully be a crowd favorite...well, at least for those who are interested in the history of international education!

International Higher Education Consulting was again sponsoring the 2019 IEI (International Educators of Illinois) conference March 14-15, 2019 in Wheaton, Illinois

This was my fourth straight year sponsoring the IEI conference.  All sponsors are listed on the conference Exhibitors & Sponsors page and I'm happy to have been a part of that group!  Unfortunately, I wasn't be able to attend this year and I hope all had a great and productive conference!

Global Business Field Projects (GBFP) - A New Global Education Platform at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business

The following is a guest post by my colleague Jessica Oldford, Director of Global Student Experience | Global Initiatives, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.  A couple of weeks ago, Jessica and I were discussing her previous IHEC Blog guest post that she co-authored with Alex Markman and Debbie Carney entitled “Pre-Departure Preparation and Onsite Advising for U.S. Business Students Participating on Exchange Programs”.  After some time, our conversation turned to faculty-led programming in business schools and Jessica told me about the new Global Business Field Projects (GBFP) focusing on FinTech that launched this academic year at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business.  As readers of IHEC Blog know, I previously directed the International Business Exchange Program (IBEP) at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and I really liked the idea of faculty-led programming focused on FinTech so I asked Jessica if she would be willing to write up a brief guest blog about GBFP and the FinTech focus of the course.  

During the 2018-19 academic year, Global Initiatives at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business (Ross Global Initiatives) launched a new global education platform called Global Business Field Projects.  Global Business Field Projects (GBFP) was created to highlight the importance of FinTech while also providing students with a hands-on experience all within the global scope. UM students enrolled into the course, taught by Professors Robert Dittmar and Andy Wu, and took class throughout the winter semester.  Winter Break then allowed students to travel to London for a week to participate in project work with a FinTech firm.

The 2018-19 version of GBFP has continued to grow and provides UM students with more diverse FinTech experiences.  As Professor Dittmar highlights, “This year, our Global Business Field Projects take us to the UK, which from 2008-2018 had more FinTech companies founded than any other country besides the U.S.  Exploring FinTech in a global context is especially useful due to differences in financial regulations, development of capital markets, and existing payment systems in different countries.  Different countries have different financial needs, which have given rise to different emphases of companies in these different environments. In fact, because many countries do not have the legacy financial and payment systems of developed economies, they are able to adapt their financial systems more rapidly to the changes introduced by technology.”

As the 2018-19 course progresses, Global Initiatives is capturing data on the impact on students and learning outcomes.  Anecdotally, feedback on the student experience, firm engagement, and faculty oversight and mentorship has been positive.  Global Initiatives is eager to capture this in a more formal setting and utilize take-aways for the 2019-20 course.

If you have any questions on GBFP, please contact Jessica Oldford at: joldford@umich.edu

U.S. Department of State's USA Study Abroad 2018 Year-in-Review Video and Report

You can access the video and online report here!

Confronting Racial Bias in Study Abroad

The following is a guest post by Roric McCorristin.  I really like Roric's piece and  I find it to be very important read for colleagues in our field!  I'm very pleased that I get to post his work here on IHEC Blog!

The participation of students of color in study abroad is characterized by two unfortunate trends: disproportionately low participation compared to white students, and evidence of racial micro-aggressions directed at students of color by other U.S. students who are abroad with them. These trends stand out because we wish them to be anomalies. Yet they persist over time, despite efforts to promote inclusion and diversity in international education. The good news is that we can take action to reverse these trends, especially if predominantly white institutions (PWIs) choose to prioritize addressing racial bias in their study abroad services.

            

According to the 2018 Open Doors report from the Institute of International Education, 70.8% of U.S. study abroad participants during the 2016-17 academic year identified as white, while only 6.1% identified as Black or African American. Although the gap is closing incrementally over time (10 years prior white students accounted for 81.9% of participants and Black or African American students 3.8%), the overall snapshot provided by the Open Doors statistics still does not accurately reflect the overall diversity found in U.S. higher education.

           

To explain the difference in participation rates the Four Fs — fear, family, faculty, and finances — are often cited as negative factors that students of color in particular have to overcome. While the Four Fs can describe potential barriers to access, focusing too much on them invites deficit framing and devaluation of the experiences of students of color. In that sense, the Four Fs have become a way to blame access for low participation rates and deflect blame away from the services provided by study abroad professionals to students of color.

PWIs in particular should think more purposefully about how to leverage the study abroad services they offer to increase participation among students of color at their institutions. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) regularly and successfully promote study abroad and prepare students of color for the experience. However, the question of what PWIs can learn from HBCUs in terms of best practices in study abroad advising has not been extensively explored. While the successes of HBCUs cannot simply be replicated at PWIs, study abroad offices at PWIs should take the lead in pursuing this potential avenue of collaboration. By establishing meaningful relationships with their colleagues at HBCUs, PWI personnel could learn about best practices in advising strategies and pursue programming like joint pre-departure orientations.

            

In doing so, PWIs could address among their students the distressing and regrettable incidents of racial micro-aggressions that are committed against students of color by other U.S. students in their study abroad cohorts. Ethelene Whitmire (2019) defines micro-aggressions as “slights and condescending comments often based on racial stereotypes.” Her current book project on the history of African Americans in Copenhagen shows us that white students discriminating against their black peers while abroad is nothing new. She tells a story from 1931 about two young Fisk University graduates who, while traveling through Italy with other African American students from Hampton University, were harassed in a dining train car by a group of students from Texas.

It is not difficult to imagine the same scenario playing out today. In an interview I recently conducted with study abroad personnel at a HBCU, I learned about the prevalence of this problem. The students at this school report being less concerned about racism they will encounter in their host communities than they are about the racism they will encounter from other American students from PWIs in their study abroad cohorts. In her fascinating study of Black women who studied abroad through community colleges, Tasha Willis (2015) documents incidents of racial micro-aggressions perpetrated by U.S. peers. She also found that incidents of racial micro-aggressions from white U.S. peers were more troubling than those from the host community. In addition, Willis provides the insight that overseas programs are an expansion of campus climate, suggesting that student behavior abroad will be a reflection of typical behavior on campus. What Willis suggests, and what my discussions with study abroad personnel at an HBCU supports, is that students take their racial biases with them when they go abroad and they behave insensitively towards their peers as they might do on campus. Therefore, PWIs must take the lead in making racial and social identity more urgent priorities in pre-departure orientations. This would raise awareness of the role of social identity in the study abroad context, and address incidents of racial bias that students show towards their peers and fellow citizens while abroad.

            

Ironically, pre-departure orientations, which are intended to prepare students for intercultural exchange and interpersonal communication abroad, are becoming increasingly impersonal. It is common now for pre-departure orientation to take place online. We should instead be providing outbound students with more in-person contact with peers before their travel abroad begins, in order to raise their awareness about racial bias that they may encounter abroad. Collaboration between PWIs and HBCUs is one way to do this; it is in the interests of PWIs to learn from the success of HBCUs in increasing study abroad participation. Improving the quality of service at PWIs for students of color, and for all students, would be a significant first step towards closing the diversity gap in study abroad.

References

Institute of International Education (2018). Profile of U.S. Study Abroad Students, 2005/06-2016/17. Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/opendoors

Whitmire, E. (2019). Traveling While Black Across the Atlantic Ocean. Longreads. Retrieved from https://longreads.com/2019/01/22/traveling-while-black-across-the-atlantic-ocean/

Willis, T.Y. (2015). “And Still We Rise…”: Microaggressions and Intersectionality in the Study Abroad Experiences of Black Women. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 26, 209-230.

Pre-Departure Preparation and Onsite Advising for U.S. Business Students Participating on Exchange Programs

The following is a guest post by three of my colleagues working in the MBA international programs side of our field.  Prior to my current role at Columbia College Chicago I worked at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and ran the International Business Exchange Program and the International MBA degree program.  This guest post was written by:

Jessica Oldford, Director of Global Student Experience | Global Initiatives, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

Alex Markman, Director of International Programs, Universidad Torcuato di Tella

Debbie Carney, Sr. Program Coordinator, McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin

According to the 2018 Open Doors Report, Business and Management make up for 20.4% of the overall outgoing study abroad student numbers.  With one fifth of the study abroad student population consisting of business school students, it’s important that business programs thoroughly prepare their students for an immersive, global experience.

The typical portfolio of global experiences for business school students can include:

• International Treks: short-term field experiences.
• ‘Doing Business in….’: one or two-week specialized programs which highlight conducting business in a local context.
• Fieldwork: Business school students get hands-on experience working with a firm on a particular issue or company challenge.
• Exchange Programs: The length ranges from school to school and the general practice is for business students to ‘swap’ places within partner institutions and take classes alongside local and other exchange students. 

For the purpose of this post, the Exchange Program format will be highlighted and discussed in more detail.  One of the most common pieces of feedback from outgoing exchange students is that it is difficult to fully integrate into the host school and culture.  Below are three cases from leading business schools throughout the Americas.  Each case highlights an institution’s preparation for either outgoing, pre-departure orientations or incoming, in-country orientations.

United States: University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business (Ross)

Each year, Ross Global Initiatives supports approximately 1,000 undergraduate and MBA level students to go abroad.  The two main types of global programming are short-term and full semester exchange programs.

Global Initiatives has created programming specific for the semester exchange programs at Ross.  As students enroll directly into partner schools and given the high level of independence required for such an immersive experience, it’s essential that they are fully prepared so they have the right expectations for their experience abroad.  Ultimately, this has led to more successful immersive experiences for the outgoing students.

After the launch of the Undergraduate Semester Exchange Program in 2014, Global Initiatives quickly learned that students needed additional programming beyond the mandatory orientation.  Therefore, new initiatives in pre-departure preparation were created:

Host school/country-specific meetings: Students needed to have a more tailored approach based on their host school and country.  Therefore, the country-specific meetings were launched and became an integral part of the pre-departure preparation.  Students are required to attend a meeting that informs them of specific requirements for visas, academic, etc. as well as cultural nuances of their host school and country.  These meetings are more customizable and are updated each year based on the previous year’s outgoing cohort’s feedback.

Additionally, Global Initiatives invites host school administrators to virtually join the meeting.  This is important as they truly are the experts for their school and city/country and they add invaluable insight prior to students departing the U.S.  It also allows them to start establishing a rapport with the students prior to their exchange.

Additional pre-departure preparation includes conducting a “Living Abroad 101” workshop designed to better support those students with no previous study/travel/work abroad experiences. Additionally, Global Initiatives hosts an “International Student Mixer” to connect visiting exchange students with outgoing students - many of whom will be attending their schools.

United States: University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business

The opportunity to study abroad at one of the world’s top business schools is a highly coveted opportunity amongst students in year one of the 2-year fulltime Texas McCombs MBA program.  Pre-departure advising in a relatively small MBA program such as this has the benefit of being highly individualized.

A general pre-departure orientation for students going on exchange covers risk and safety, financial aid, and university administrative matters; however, during required individualized advising appointments, the Exchange Advisor can explore elements of career management, academic planning, and business leadership while abroad.

Pre-departure orientation begins with the start of study abroad recruiting in early spring semester.  Applicants are expected to schedule 30-minute meetings with the Exchange Advisor to discuss the professional, academic, and personal goals for the exchange. This interaction allows for clear expectation setting about the kind of international experience the students want to have.  For example, going abroad to a European business program might mean studying with Master’s level, pre-experience students, and therefore will not offer the same type of networking opportunities as a more traditional U.S.-style MBA in Asia.

The essential need for advising in small MBA exchange programs is particularly evident with students who have little to no experience living abroad.  While the typical Texas MBA student has a good deal of international travel experience, he or she may not have studied or lived abroad. Customized advising is an opportunity to communicate the return on investment and intangible opportunities the exchange offers: an enhanced global outlook and intercultural acumen, traits embodied by successful business leaders and coveted by recruiters.  Finally, clarification about the use of financial aid, grants, loans, scholarships, and fellowships is particularly helpful for many students, therefore the Exchange Advisor works closely with MBA Financial Aid to discuss the financial implications of going abroad.

Argentina: Universidad Torcuato Di Tella Business School (UTDT)

In Argentina, the vast majority of graduate programs are taught in a part-time format. Graduate students are working professionals with an average of at least 3 years of work experience and usually in their late 20s to early 30s. Due to the fact that many have to combine the demands of their graduate studies with those of their own families, careers and personal well-being, their time availability to participate in additional activities is limited. Therefore, integration activities for incoming international students must be planned around class times in order to include domestic students.

In programs such as the MBA and Executive MBA (EMBA), students are assigned a group to work with throughout their program.  Incoming exchange students are placed into one of these groups, giving them an immediate sense of belonging. Placement is done based on similar age groups and complementary professional and individual profiles. In all graduate programs, “Coffee break speed networking” activities are offered to encourage students to get out of their comfort zone and talk to people in their classes with whom they have never interacted before. These optional initiatives last 15 minutes and are usually the kickstarter for longer interactions between participants.

Integration activities are undoubtedly useful to help incoming students integrate with local students and, thus, mitigate the inevitable formation of silos of international students. However, pre-departure preparation and an on-site orientation are also key to help prepare students to breach expectation gaps and make the most out of their cultural immersion. At UTDT, the international programs office often collaborates virtually with partners for pre-departure orientations to help provide a broader preparation for the overseas experience.  Additionally, incoming students are offered the possibility of participating in pre-arrival individual or group Skype calls to address specific doubts and concerns.

Students tend to find it more challenging studying in a different school, sometimes in a foreign language, and trying to expand their network with local students.  For these students, preparation and goal and expectation setting is key.  With more preparation prior to departure and during in-country orientations, students tend to find the transition abroad easier than those who spend little time preparing.


References

Institute of International Education. (2018). Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. New York: Institute of International Education. Available at https://www.iie.org/Research-and-Insights/Open-Doors/Data/US-Study-Abroad/Fields-of-Study

The Institute of International Education was founded 100 years ago today! #iie100

On this day 100 years ago, IIE opened in New York with a powerful belief: that international education was the best way to foster greater understanding among nations and to make the world a safer place. We are honored to be represented in tonight's @EmpireStateBldg lights #iie100 pic.twitter.com/6EkMcWxmbr

— IIEglobal (@IIEglobal) February 19, 2019

Ten years and one day ago I posted to Twitter for the very first time!

Augustana College is accepting applications for Director of International and Off-Campus Programs

More information and application 

available here!

I liked this Super Bowl commercial by Google

Erasmus+ and Brexit latest updates

Full UK Government Guidance available here!

Full European Commission press release available here!

See you soon SFO! #AIEA2019

As a somewhat frequent traveler this airline's advertisement caught my attention

I made a photo collage from some of the places I've visited

Click on photo for larger view

Many thanks to Troy Peden and GoAbroad.com for the hats!

Locations from left to right, top to bottom:
Great Wall of China; U2 Joshua Tree Tour at Soldier Field, Chicago; Tulum, Mexico; Temple Mount, Jerusalem; Musée du Louvre, Paris; Iguazu Falls, Brazil side; Bavarian Alps, Germany; Warsaw Old Town, Poland; Neals Yard, London; Blue Mountains, Jamaica; friend’s data session at PIM conference in São Paulo, Brazil; Bondi Beach, New South Wales, Australia; Great Pyramid and Sphinx, Giza, Egypt; Hall of Mirrors, Château de Versailles, France; Parliment Building, London; Xochimilco, Mexico; Devonport, New Zealand; Bavarian Alps, Germany; Teotihuacán, Mexico; Sydney Harbour, Australia; Chichén Itzá, Mexico; Le Mont-Saint-Michel, France; Monticello, Virginia; Arc de Triomphe, Paris; It's A Small World at Disneyland; U2 Innocence & Experience Tour, United Center, Chicago; Hogwarts, Universal Orlando; Bangkok, Thailand; Devonport, New Zealand; Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica; Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janerio; Taxco, Mexico; The Treasury at Petra, Jordan; Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois; Batu Caves, Malaysia; Waiheke Island, New Zealand; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Angkor Wat, Cambodia; Bali, Indonesia; Cairo, Egypt; Erding, Germany; Wrigley Building, Chicago; City Hall, Philadelphia; Great Pyramids, Giza, Egypt; Waterfall in Blue Mountains, Jamaica; Hofbräuhaus, Munich; St. Louis Cathedal, New Orleans; Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel; Palace Theatre, London; Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Paris; Tower Bridge, London; The Merlion, Singapore; State Capital Building, Madison, Wisconsin; Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur; Tegallalang Rice Terraces, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia; Charles Bridge, Prague; Kunanyi / Mount Wellington overlooking Hobart, Tasmania, Australia; Tanah Lot Temple, Bali, Indonesia; U2 Experience & Innocence Tour, United Center, Chicago; Flatirons, Boulder, Colorado; Amman, Jordan; and, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.

NAFSA's New "Welcome to Succeed Campaign" #WelcomeToSucceed

More information here