Follow the Twitter Backchannel from the National Press Club in Washington, DC for the Release of 2017 Open Doors Report on November 13, 2017 #OpenDoorsReport

#OpenDoorsReport Tweets

Three U.S. Students Arrested in Cairo

Reports (now confirmed) indicate that three U.S. students studying in Cairo have been arrested and charged with throwing Molotov cocktails from atop the American University Cairo building near Tahrir Square and for not carrying passports. The three students are from Georgetown University, Drexel University and Indiana University. More at:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

and more at:  Indiana Daily Student, The Hoya, Washington Post, New York Times, The BBC, Al Jazeera, and at CNN.

Always Stop and Look through a Pile of Free Books as You Never Know What You Will Find

Earlier during my lunch hour today I discovered a table with a bunch of books spread all across the top and a small sign that read "free books" (pictured here).  I always stop and search through a pile of free books...don't you?  This pile of books focused primarily on political science and economics in Russia and Slavic countries and the majority were written in Russian.  While these subjects are of interest they are not books I would pick-up for casual or academic reading.  Today, however, I lucked out and found a great publication to add to my Bury Book International Education Library & Archive.  Under several books I found and took the following:


Victor R. Johnson. (2006).  "Americans Abroad: International Educational Programs and Tort Liability" The Journal of College and University Law, 32 (2), 309-359.


I did a quick internet search and found the article online here (hopefully you can access it as well)


Photo credit:  http://davidcomp.wordpress.com/

Study Abroad as an Unexpected Expense - Video of the Week

For this Video of the Week I embedded this Bank of America commercial about unexpected expenses.  This is a pretty good commercial to start with but what I really like is that the idea of study abroad is brought up (two 2 second snippets of the commercial so you have to watch the entire 0:37 of video) as an unexpected expense .  It is great that the concept of study abroad was brought up in this commercial but what is really important about the commercial is that the student and parents are African American.  This is important because African American students have traditionally been underrepresented in the U.S. study abroad study abroad population as demonstrated by the most recent Open Doors data showing that only 4.0% of U.S. students studying abroad in 2007-2008 were African American.  Including an African American student discussing studying abroad in France with his parents in the commercial is a small, but welcomed, step in showing that students of all backgrounds are interested in studying abroad and that we as a field need to continue our efforts to diversify the U.S. student profile studying abroad.
To all parents out there...be prepared for your student to come home some day and tell you that they want to study abroad!  As much as possible let's make study abroad a necessary expense for our students rather than an unexpected expense!

Shanghai Expo Learning Component for Purdue University Students Studying Abroad

I recently learned about a very interesting study abroad program initiative at Purdue University called the Shanghai Expo Learning Component and I think it is a great example of innovative programming in the field. In conjunction with Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, nine Purdue summer study abroad programs (each with different objectives, dates and faculty leaders) will meet up in late May to take in elements of the Expo. Additionally, they will also be meeting with representatives from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Purdue alumni during this period. The programs range from Aviation Technology to Health & Kinesiology. You can learn more about the Shanghai Expo Learning Component at Purdue University here.

Similar to Purdue, the University of Southern California is also focusing on Expo 2010 and their U.S.-China Institute has partnered with USA Pavilion to create the Student Ambassadors Internship Program. You can learn more about this Student Ambassadors Internship Program here.

A Brief Synopsis of Recent Literature on U.S. Students Abroad

It has been some time since I have had a guest blogger here at IHEC Blog and I’m pleased to publish this post by my colleague Emily Gorlewski, Assistant Director in the Office of Study Abroad, Center for International Studies at Western Illinois University. In this post, Emily provides a brief synopsis of three recent articles on U.S. study abroad:

Salisbury, M.H., Paulsen, M.B., and Pascarella, E.T. (2010) To see the world or stay at home; Applying an integrated student choice model to explore the gender gap in the intent to study abroad. Research in Higher Education (in press, retrieved March 9, 2010 from www.education.uiowa.edu/crue/publications/index.htm)

Salisbury, M.H., Umbach, P.D., Paulsen, M.B., and Pascarella, E.T. (2009) Going global: Understanding the choice process of the intent to study abroad. Research in Higher Education 50, 119-143.

Stroud, A. (2010). Who plans (not) to study abroad? An examination of U.S. student intent. Journal of Studies in International Education, 1-18. Doi 10.1177/1028315309357942

As a study abroad professional with big ambitions to increase participation at my university, I am thrilled to see quite a number of new research articles about what influences students to study abroad or not. When I worked as a study abroad adviser and was also a graduate student, this was my primary interest. I wanted to know why our students weren’t going abroad. Were they too poor? Didn’t they know about study abroad? Were they just not interested? The literature at that time (Spring 2006) was not as extensive as it is today, thanks to these new resources.

These studies support some previous research findings and commonly-held beliefs about study abroad while challenging others. For a practitioner like me, they point out the similarities in factors influencing students to study abroad, while also highlighting areas in which more research is needed in each particular institution. This research is a huge contribution to understanding participation in study abroad.

April Stroud’s (2010) sample was from one institution, University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Stroud found that female students were more likely to intend to study abroad than male students, which is in line with the Open Doors statistics on students who do go abroad. She also found that students who attended college farther away from home were more likely to intend to study abroad, as were students who indicated a strong interest in learning about other cultures. She found that students who lived at home while attending school and those in engineering or professional majors were less likely to intend to study abroad, while parents’ income level and education level did not appear to be related to intent to study abroad.

Salisbury, Umbach, Paulsen and Pascarella (2009) and Salisbury, Paulsen and Pascarella (2010) had a sample drawn from 19 different institutions. Because of the diversity of this sample compared to Stroud’s or that of any single institution trying to study its own students, it is possible that some would consider the results more generalizable to the US undergraduate population as a whole. However, as the researchers point out, the institutions sampled represented a disproportionate number of liberal-arts colleges. In the 2009 study, women were found to be more likely than men to intend to study abroad. This finding is studied in more detail in the 2010 article. The data on racial background and majors was interesting; the authors suggest that the fact that certain student groups are underrepresented is not due to a lack of desire or intent to study abroad. The 2010 analysis focuses on gender, finding relationships among this factor plus, race, income, parents’ education levels and other variables. There’s too much fascinating information to summarize here; you will have to read the article!

All of these articles are full of implications for further research, and they are just a sample of the research that has appeared recently on this topic. As the field continues to grow, I hope that the momentum in this area can be maintained, and more answers can be found for those of us who are asking why more students don’t take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad. It’s important for each of us to remember, however, that each institution has its own unique student population, and in order to serve that population’s needs, we need to look inward and focus on what drives our own students.

Photo credit:  austinevan

U.S. Students Studying Abroad and U.S. Public Diplomacy Efforts: A Historical Review

In three weeks I’ll be presenting on the topic “U.S. Students Study Abroad and U.S. Public diplomacy Efforts: A Historical Review” during the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) annual conference being held in Chicago. My presentation is part of a larger panel discussion entitled “Comparative Perspectives on Measuring the Impact of Study Abroad: Life, Society, and Public Diplomacy Re-imagined”. I will be joined on this panel by session chair and panelists Jae-Eun Jon who will be presenting on the topic “Study Abroad Experience and Its Influence on Subsequent Life: Three Large-Scale Studies” and Louis Berends who will be presenting on the topic “The Impact of Study Abroad on STEM Field Students: Assessing Work Related Experiences and other ‘Non-Credit’ Programs Abroad”. We will also be joined by Gerald Fry who will serve as our discussant. You can learn more about our session here.  If will be attending the CIES conference and our session fits into your schedule please come or swing by after the session to say hello.

This will be my first CIES conference and my participation will be limited to presenting at this session as I have to get back to Hyde Park to my full-time job and get the kids from school.

What Would be the Economic Impact on the United States if we Send 1,000,000 U.S. Students to Study Abroad?

There has been much written in the media and blogosphere over the last year or so about the economic impact that international students have on various nations, provinces/states and even cities across the globe. Most recently, NAFSA: Association of International Educators released their annual Economic Impact Statements for 2008-2009 which you can access here.

Here are some questions I have on this topic but don’t currently have answers for:

What was the economic impact on the United States of sending 262,416 U.S. students to study abroad during the 2007/08 academic year?

What would be the economic impact on the United States if we send an additional 86,835 U.S. students to study in China (thus meeting President Obama’s stated goal of sending 100,000 U.S. students to China)?

What would be the economic impact on the United States if we send 1,000,000 U.S. students to study abroad annually?

To be sure, there are many, many more variables that would need to be considered and calculated into this economic impact equation compared to what I imagine is a bit simpler equation for calculating the economic impact of international students in the United States. Any mathematically/economically inclined people out there have ideas on how to calculate this?

I just think it is important to present data on both sides of this economic trade coin…I think a future IHEC Blog post on GATS should be in the works!

If you are interested in the economic impact of international students you might find the following resources to be of interest:

Related IHEC Blog posts on the economic impact of international education (worldwide focus and not specific to the United States):

- The Economic Impact of International Students – New Paper Released Today
- The Economic Contribution of International Students in Australia
- Dublin Enters the International Student Recruiting Market with The Lord Mayor of Dublin International Scholarships

- International Students Contribute $15.54 Billion to U.S. Economy
- Aberdeen City Council Investigates Economic Impact of International Students

- Manitoba’s International Education Strategy


Stuart Hughes who maintains the IDP Database of Research on International Education commented on my Aberdeen City Council blog post listing the following state level reports:
- Brisbane - city of education : the economic impact of international students. (2004 and 2007)
- The economic impact of London's international students. (2007)
- Report : international student spending. Dunedin: Dunedin City Council. (2004)
- International students : economic benefits for Auckland city. (2003)
- International students : their impact on Auckland city. (2003)
- Vancouver's English language school sector. (2003)
- A report on the demographic, social and economic impact of international students on North Shore City [Auckland]. (2002)
- The economic impact of the overseas student industry: special reference to the Wollongong economy. (1998)
- Domestic economic impact of exporting education: a case study of the University of Wollongong. (1995)

Those of you on Twitter might want to follow the IDP Database of Research on International Education at: http://twitter.com/IDPDRIE

Photo by SqueakyMarmot

Cultural Exchange or American Dominance?

Part of the description of IHEC Blog states “from time to time, International Higher Education Consulting Blog will post thought provoking pieces to challenge readers and to encourage comments and professional dialogue” and I hope that this post meets this criteria so here goes it…

I came across an interesting article over lunch entitled “Is $120 Million Study Abroad Bill About Cultural Exchange or American Dominance?” which was posted yesterday to MatadorAbroad.com. I think the author, Sarah Menkedick, raises some interesting/important points that are worthy of discussion here on IHEC Blog.

What’s your take on the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act? Is it about cultural exchange or American dominance or is it a little bit of both?

Here is a video of Senator Paul Simon from November 13, 2003 (a few weeks before his untimely death) announcing his vision of the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program:



I plan to post more to IHEC Blog about sending one million students abroad in the near future. I leave you with this thought I have; if the United States does reach the goal of sending one million students abroad I wonder how many more “Itaewon” type areas will be established across the globe?

This post is related to a similar to a March 30, 2009 IHEC Blog post entitled “Spreading of Colonial Influence Abroad via the Peace Corps” which you can read and comment on here.

Point/Counterpoint on the Value of Study Abroad

In a Sept. 21st commentary piece entitled “Study Abroad Is Often Not All It Should Be,” John F. Burness, visiting professor in the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, expresses his concerns about the value of study abroad. It’s a good read with valid points.

In a recent, Nov. 2nd, Letter to the Editor entitled “Education Abroad Is More Important Than Ever For U.S. Students,” Joshua S. McKeown, Director of International Education and Programs at State University of New York at Oswego, counters Burness’ claims and is also a good read with valid points.

You can access the two articles by clicking on the links below:

“Study Abroad Is Often Not All It Should Be” by John F. Burness

“Education Abroad Is More Important Than Ever For U.S. Students” by Joshua S. McKeown

Please take a moment to contribute to the discussion in the comments section of the two Chronicle articles or here on IHEC Blog.

You will need a subscription to The Chronicle to access the articles (although many college and university libraries (and some organizations) subscribe to The Chronicle so you may be able to access the articles via your campus or organizational network.

American Students Studying Abroad during the Colonial Period

Following is a paragraph about American students being educated abroad during the colonial period from a manuscript I’m getting published in fall, 2010:

American students have been studying abroad and incorporating this experience as part of their education for centuries. The establishment of Harvard College in 1636, which was modeled after the residential colleges of Oxford, and the subsequent founding of the other colonial colleges began the great tradition of American higher education.[1] Many colonists were concerned about the growing trend of American students studying in Europe even though important individuals such as Benjamin Franklin, who studied in London, and John Quincy Adams, who studied outside of Paris during the colonial period, were pursuing such opportunities.[2] The numbers of Americans studying abroad during this time period were significant enough that several leading American figures such as Thomas Jefferson in 1785 and George Washington a mere ten years later in 1795 voiced their concerns and were highly critical of Americans studying overseas.[3] Thomas Jefferson, in his scorn for sending American students to Europe, is quoted as saying, “an American coming to Europe for an education loses in his knowledge, in his morals, in his habits, and in his happiness.”[4] The Georgia Legislature in 1785 even went as far as to enact a law that penalized young men who were educated abroad by considering these students as Aliens for a minimum of three years after returning home and were thus ineligible to hold a seat in the legislature or any other civil or military office in the state.[5] The end of the American Revolution saw an expansion in the founding of colleges across the newly formed United States of America and the numbers of American students going to Europe to study continued to grow. The first American to earn a Ph.D. degree abroad was Edward Everett in 1817 at Gottingen in Germany.[6] Everett later went on to serve as the President of Harvard from 1846 to 1849.

[1] The order of founding of the American colonial colleges: Harvard College (1636), William and Mary (1697), Yale College (1701), College of New Jersey which later became Princeton University (1746), King’s College which later became Columbia College (1754), College of Philadelphia which later became University of Pennsylvania (1755), College of Rhode Island which later became Brown University (1766), Queen’s College which later became Rutgers University (1766), and Dartmouth College (1769). Obtained from Robert A. McCaughey, Stand, Columbia: A History of Columbia University (New York: Columbia University Press, 2003) with various supporting tables online at <http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/stand_columbia/order-colonialcolleges.html>.[2] Dietrich Goldschmidt, “Historical Interaction Between Higher Education in Germany and in the United States” in German and American Universities: Mutual Influences – Past and Present, Eds. Ulrich Teichler and Henry Wasser (Kassel, Wissenschaftliches Zentrum, 1992) 11-34.[3] William W. Hoffa, A History of US Study Abroad: Beginnings to 1965 (Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Whitmore Printing, 2007), 25-28.[4] Henry Schwaneger, “The Junior Year Abroad: Then, Now, and?” Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, 3 no. 1 (Spring, 1970), 155.[5] Robert H. Bremer, (Ed.). Children & Youth in America: A Documentary History (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1970). Book available via the Humanities & Social Sciences Net Online <http://www.h-net.org/~child/Bremner/TOC.htm>.[6] Ibid.

Expanding Study Abroad Capacity at U.S. Colleges and Universities

Last week during the NAFSA conference in Los Angeles, the Institute of International Education (IIE) released their sixth study abroad white paper entitled Expanding Study Abroad Capacity at U.S. Colleges and Universities. Previous white papers include:

Promoting Study Abroad in Science and Technology Fields (Issue 5)
Expanding U.S. Study Abroad in the Arab World: Challenges and Opportunities (Issue 4)
Expanding Education Abroad at U.S. Community Colleges (Issue 3)
Exploring Host Country Capacity for Increasing U.S. Study Abroad (Issue 2)
Current Trends in U.S. Study Abroad & the Impact of Strategic Diversity Initiatives (Issue 1)

You can access all of IIE’s white papers on U.S. study abroad here.

Exchange Participants as Citizen Diplomats: Best Practices

My University of Chicago colleague Erika Mercer and I will be presenting on this topic at the upcoming NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference in Los Angeles on May 28th at 9:15am. Actually, Erika and I will be doing brief introductions to the topic and then moderating what we hope will be a lively discussion on this topic for the remainder of the session. We will be basing our discussion off the excellent document that Erika prepared for the session which you can download here.

Erika has previously posted to IHEC Blog as a guest blogger and you can access her post entitled “Unintended Consequences of Internationalization” here.

While I'm on the topic of Citizen Diplomats...if you haven't already taken 30 seconds to sign the Global Citizen Diplomacy Initiative petition to President Obama please visit here. The Global Citizen Diplomacy Initiative is a project of The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy.

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410)

On May 14th the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act was included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA). Last year, the bill passed the House with unanimous support and enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the Senate, including that of then-senators President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, where it was one step short of passage when the legislative clock expired last fall. The Simon Act has been endorsed by more than forty higher education and international exchange organizations and by the 9/11 Comission Chairs.

The Simon Act aims to dramatically increase the number of U.S. undergraduates who study abroad in quality programs across the globe, focusing particular attention on ensuring access to study abroad across the college demographic and encouraging study abroad in the developing world. Less than 10% of U.S. undergraduates participate on educational programs abroad.

Here’s a statement from NAFSA: Association of International Educators Executive Director and CEO Marlene Johnson: “We applaud Chairman Berman for his strong support of the Simon bill and for including it in this important package. By ensuring that the critical experience of study abroad is an integral part of the 21st-century education of our college students, this unique and innovative program would revolutionize America’s capacity to understand, relate to, and lead responsibly in the world. We are encouraged by the support expressed for the Simon bill by President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton when they were in the Senate.”
Want to do more? NAFSA is leading a growing movement online to make sure this legislation gets passed. Here are some ways you can help:

Join NAFSA on Facebook at http://www.nafsa.org/jointhemovement to find out how you can support the Simon bill.

You can learn more about the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act here.

Data Collection and Students with Disabilities Who Study Abroad

For a second year, the Institute of International Education is collecing data on students with disabilities for their annual Open Doors survey. While all data collection efforts in the field are important I think this is perhaps one of the most important questions to be answered on the survey and I encourage all colleagues in the field to contribute to this effort.

The following basic disability statistics for study abroad were obtained from the Open Doors 2008 website here.

OPEN DOORS 2008 BASIC DISABILITY STATISTICS FOR STUDY ABROAD

Note: This is the first year that IIE has collected data on students with disabilities studying abroad. Due to the low response rate, this data should not be interpreted as a national-level finding.

116 institutions provided disability data for their study abroad students in 2006/07. Out of the approximately 39,400 total study abroad students at these institutions, 42.7% had no disability, 2.6% had disability and 54.7% had unknown disability status.

Types of disability reported were:

Learning Disability - 50.5%

Mental Disability - 25.4%

Physical Disability - 8.0%

Sensory Disability - 5.8%

Other Disability - 10.2%

Purdue University, San Diego State University and Linfield College reported the highest total numbers of students with disabilities studying abroad.

An additional summary of the Open Doors data collection efforts on students with disabilities who studied abroad in 2006-2007 is available on the Mobility International USA (MIUSA) website here.

IHEC Blog readers may also be interested in a recent article entitled “Tracking Student with Disabilities Who Study Abroad” by Michele Scheib March/April 2009 issue of NAFSA’s International Educator which you can access here.

See previous IHEC Blog posts on students with disabilities studying abroad here.

Call for Manuscripts/Proposals for Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad

Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, the only journal specifically devoted to U.S. study abroad, posted a call for manuscripts and proposals for a special volume on “Study Abroad and the City.” Here is a snippet of their call for manuscripts and proposals:

“The majority of today’s education abroad students will either study in a city or visit cities while learning abroad. Study in the city can provide rich learning opportunities for students from a variety of academic disciplines while also generating insights into cultural, artistic, scientific and other intellectual achievements of city dwellers. Further, cities can serve as living laboratories for the experiential and intercultural learning that are a critical part of learning abroad.

Frontiers seeks contributions to a special, thematically focused volume on “Study Abroad and the City.” Manuscript submissions and proposals should analyze, examine and explore how institutions, individual faculty, and study abroad programs use cities to enrich student learning and help participants connect both intellectually and personally with host country environments and people. The volume will also consider how certain cities foster study abroad learning in ways that are unique to those locations.”

You can read the entire call for manuscripts and proposals here.

Portrayal of Exchange Students in Movies and on TV in the U.S. – Part Deux

For my 300th IHEC Blog post…

On Monday I posted on the portrayal of exchange students in movies and on TV in the U.S. and today I learned that Matthew McConaughey is producing a new film (comedy) called Exchange Students.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the “story revolves around two exchange students, one who ships out from the U.S. and one who comes in, who experience new environments in very different ways: One has the time of his life, the other goes off the rails”

You can read more about this new project here.

5 Reasons to Consider Studying Abroad

Following is the 5th guest post by Holly McCarthy here at IHEC Blog. In her post, Holly briefly highlights five reasons for students to consider studying abroad. Holly’s thoughts are especially helpful to the students who frequent IHEC Blog. Holly’s post follows:

5 Reasons to Consider Studying Abroad

Getting a college education is one of the best things that young people can do for themselves when it comes to opening doors for future success. One particularly excellent way to receive a college education is by studying abroad. Whether a student decides to spend a semester abroad or the entire college career overseas, there are many benefits to studying outside of the US. A few of these reasons are explored in greater detail below.

Travel Opportunities

For many students, the ability to travel while learning at the same time is a quite attractive when considering study abroad programs. Travel is inherent to the study abroad experience and living in another country provides additional opportunities to explore the country and surrounding areas. Often, programs include tours to enrich the educational experience.

Language Acquisition

Students who study in a foreign country that speaks a language other than their native tongue are able to layer another benefit on their study abroad experience. Although many classes taught in universities overseas are conducted in English, living in another country requires that students learn how to communicate effectively with the people around them. Knowing another language can be quite beneficial and can open opportunities for students down the road.

Cultural Literacy

One of the best ways to learn about another culture is to immerse yourself within that culture. Students who study abroad may choose a particular location because of the knowledge that they may gain about the culture of the country where they will be living. Learning about and living within the context of another culture can expand awareness and change paradigms based on exposure to only one culture.

Time is of the Essence

Many schools overseas have condensed programs that are designed to deliver maximum information in a minimal amount of time. This may be attractive to students in the US to be able to condense larger amounts of coursework and credits without spending years doing so. Of course, it is always wise to check the accreditation of the institution that you would like to attend in order to make sure that your degree will be recognized once you have completed the program’s requirements.

Affordable Alternative

Contrary to popular opinion, studying abroad isn’t going to necessarily cost you an arm and a leg. Several countries in Europe offer free education to their own citizens and charge a nominal fee to international students. Residency requirements for many overseas schools are far less strenuous than those of universities in the US. Additionally, some American schools have campuses abroad and many universities accept US Federal Student Aid as well. Do your homework and see if studying abroad is something you might like to try.

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes about the best universities. She welcomes your feedback at: HollyMcCarthy12 at gmail.com

Two New Resources on Diversifying U.S. Study Abroad

Yesterday I learned of two new resources in the field that focus on diversifying the U.S. study abroad student profile. As many IHEC Blog readers know, this is an issue that is quite important to me and one that I have researched, consulted on, written about, presented on and been interviewed about in the past. I view the diversification of the U.S. study abroad student profile as a top priority for the field not only to ensure equal access/opportunity for all students in pursuit of an academic opportunity outside of the United States but also from a public diplomacy aspect as it’s important to show all of our faces and to share all of our different cultures and backgrounds with the world.

The first new resource is a new non-profit initiative of DiversityAbroad.com called Global Citizen Fund. Here is a brief description of the Global Citizen Fund from the website:

“The Global Citizen Fund (GCF) was established to support students from disadvantaged economic backgrounds to participate in global education exchanges. Our mission is to prepare high school and university students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds for global citizenship and leadership through cultural exchange, educational enrichment and professional development based on an international experience.”

This is a great resource for the field and we have Andrew Gordon to thank! Diversity Abroad is the brain child of Andrew who has made quite an impact on diversifying the study abroad (see my previous post about Diversity Abroad from exactly one year ago today). This is not to discredit the work of several others in the field who are also doing great work on this in the field (more on their work in future posts). I last met with Andrew in Portland back in February at the Forum on Education Abroad conference and we’ve talked on the phone since and he has many great ideas in the pipeline so stay tuned to the Diversity Abroad website (currently upgrading website and will be back in 24 hours or less), subscribe to the Diversity Abroad newsletter and I’m sure I’ll blog and tweet about new their developments as well.

The second resource is a new monograph prepared by the IES Abroad Think Tank on Diversity Abroad entitled Report of the IES Abroad Think Tank on Diversity in Education Abroad. IES assembled an impressive team of individuals for their Think Tank on Diversity including Andrew Gordon from Diversity Abroad. You can learn more about IES Abroad’s Diversity Initiative here.

NAFSA Task Force on Standards and Responsibilities (1980)

As I was searching my research notes I came across something that I thought IHEC Blog readers who enjoy a little history with their international education may find interesting. The following is a description of the NAFSA Task Force on Standards and Responsibilities from the early 1980’s:

“NAFSA convened the Task Force on Standards and Responsibilities in early 1980. This task force considered many alternatives. It acknowledged that self-regulation was more desirable than government regulation of standards of practice. It also considered and rejected a program of accreditation that would first formally endorse programs that met established standards and then police them through periodic evaluation and any necessary censure. What the task force finally chose was a complete program of self-regulation, which involved endorsement by the NAFSA board and support by other major educational associations and agencies. As part of the new program, NAFSA published “Principles for International Educational Exchange” in 1981 for endorsement by all NAFSA members. The Principles were also formally endorsed by the Commission on International Education of the American Council on Education, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and Land Grant Colleges. In 1983, NAFSA published the first edition of this self-study guide with dealt with the principles.”[1]


This is just one of the efforts in the field of study abroad to develop a set of standards of good practice. You can learn more about this in the chapter I'm writing with my colleague Martha Merritt on the assessment of and standards for study abroad in the forthcoming A History of US Study Abroad: 1965 to the Present edited by Stephen DePaul and William Hoffa which is scheduled for publication later this year.


You may also be interested in the History of Standards of Good Practice in Education Abroad Bibliography I compiled last year for the 3rd edition of the Forum on Education Abroad Standards of Good Practice in Education Abroad.

[1] Description obtained from NAFSA Self-Study Guide: The Assessment of Programs and Services for International Educational Exchange at Postsecondary Institutions (1994) written by Harriet L. Marsh.