IIE executives provided their expert perspectives on the benefits of studying abroad in several recently published news articles, including in The Chronicle of Higher Education and Alaska Beyond Magazine. 

 

In the Chronicle, Edie Cecil, Vice President of Professional Exchange and Community Outreach, discussed ways students and scholars from the Middle East and U.S. can benefit from increasing and enhancing academic exchanges, "universities in Arab countries, in cooperation with government ministries and academic associations, can better promote study in their countries that goes beyond the study of the Arabic language. There are many excellent universities in the Arab world that can offer U.S. students opportunities to not only expand their cultural horizons and language skills, but also to be exposed to professors, student colleagues and peers who are focused on similar academic pursuits." According to IIE’s latest Open Doors report, nearly 90,000 students from the Arab world are enrolled at U.S. higher education institutions, yet less than 3,500 U.S. students study in Arab countries. 

 

Allan Goodman, President, and Daniel Obst, Deputy Vice President of International Partnerships in Higher Education were quoted in a feature article, "Global Citizens" in Alaska Beyond Magazine for Alaska Airlines. The article cites the latest Open Doors report, credits IIE with proactively identifying the need for more U.S. students to go abroad and IIE’s work to double the number of students abroad. Allan Goodman explained why more students should go abroad, "Preparing to be a global citizen is important. We’re hoping that international study becomes a part of everybody’s education." Daniel Obst explained the competitive advantage study abroad gives to students after graduation, "We know that employers today are looking for graduates who are prepared to work in the global workforce, and for this they need to work on multinational teams; they need to be able to think and communicate across cultures; and sometimes [companies] need people who speak a foreign language. So study abroad is one of the best ways to gain all those skills."

IIE enthusiastically commends the District of Columbia Public Schools’ Global Ed Program, which recently unveiled fully-funded study abroad trips for 8th and 11th grade students. More than 400 educators and students enrolled in a world language course will participate in short-term language immersion, global leadership, or service learning trips starting in June. Global Ed will also sponsor middle and high school teachers to become Travel Ambassadors to lead trips and prepare students for them.

In the last decade the number of Chinese students studying abroad in the United States has seen almost a five-fold increase and they now comprise the largest group of international students in the U.S., however determining who hosts these students was a difficult question to answer. — Foreign Policy

Will developments in higher education from the past 12 months continue to drive the agenda in 2016? A look into lower tuition fees, increasing number of rankings, the role of higher education in the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, increase of study aboard credits and degrees, the call for internationalization of the curriculum, employability, and global citizenship, and the impact of global instability, terrorism and the refugee crisis on higher education. — University World News

Institutions are working to privately sponsor refugee families and to help bring student refugees here to study. — University Affairs

Registration Deadline: February 19, 2016 | Contact 

Sponsored by the Department of State, Office of Global Educational Program, the Fulbright Commission in the Czech Republic in cooperation with Czech universities that offer education in STEM, is organizing a capacity-building workshop that will concentrate on study abroad programs for STEM students.  The event will be focused on two goals:

1) To increase the study abroad participation of U.S. students in STEM fields and

2) To attract these students to Czech HEIs. 

The 2-day workshop, followed by two days of campus visits, will bring together Czech and U.S. educators, as well as international staff focused on STEM, including Sabeen Altaf from IIE who will be presenting on Generation Study Abroad and IIE administered STEM programs.

The Call for Proposals for the 2016 IIE Summit on Generation Study Abroad is now open. The IIE Summit on October 23-25, 2016 in Washington, DC, will be an opportunity for Commitment Partners and those interested in being part of the Generation Study Abroad movement to explore innovative action plans, exchange effective tools and experiment with new approaches to ensure that thousands of Americans have the opportunity and expectation to undertake an international experience.

IIE's Generation Study Abroad brings leaders in education, business and governments together to increase the number and diversity of U.S. college students who study abroad. In its first year, more than 600 partner campuses and organizations have committed to take specific, measurable actions to ensure that more American students graduate with the international experience necessary for success in a globalized world. The latest Open Doors data showed 5% growth in study abroad, but much more is needed to achieve the ambitious goal of doubling study abroad by the end of the decade.

IIE welcomes proposals for one of the following interactive formats: 

• Think Tanks: Interactive brainstorming sessions, where participants will engage in big-picture thinking to identify creative solutions to specific challenges.
• LearningLabs: Workshops/Master Classes on specific topics that will help participants to advance their commitments.
• SummitTalks: Short, high-impact individual presentations on hot topics, new ideas and specific solutions relevant to the theme of doubling study abroad by 2020.
• Panel Sessions: Panel discussions that incorporate diverse stakeholders and perspectives. You may also submit individual presentations to be included on a panel.

Proposals should reflect the spirit of innovation across the following four themes:

1. New Study Abroad Models and Marketing Directions 
2. Forging New Partnerships to Advance Your Pledge 
3. Commitments that Work: Learning from Innovative Solutions (and Failures) 
4. Making the Case for Study Abroad: Using Data to Promote Study Abroad and Change Perceptions

The IIE Summit will result in the sharing of ideas, research and practices that encourage new ways of approaching study abroad. Participants will walk away with a strong network of partners and with specific resources to find new ways to integrate study abroad into every American's school or college experience.

Multilingual students: Win a Trip to New York to take part in the United Nations Academic Impact Global Youth Forum

The United Nations Academic Impact, in collaboration with ELS Educational Services, Inc., invites students, 18 years and older, who are enrolled in a full-time course of study at a college or university, to participate in the Many Languages, One World Essay Contest. Sixty students will be selected as delegates to the 2016 United Nations Academic Impact Global Youth Forum, 25-31 July, 2016, where they will create action plans related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The students will present these action plans at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Airfare to New York, Room and Meals will be provided by ELS. 

To Participate:  Write an original essay (2,000 words or less) discussing global citizenship and cultural understanding and the role that multilingual ability can play in fostering these. The essay should reflect your personal, academic, cultural and national context. Essays must be written in an official language of the United Nations that is not your first language or primary language of instruction during your primary or secondary education. The official United Nations languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. You will need to demonstrate both written and verbal competency in the language of the essay. You must be a full-time university student, at the undergraduate or graduate level, recommended and endorsed by a Faculty Member or University Representative, and must be 18 years of age or older by the contest deadline.