Study Abroad Numbers Soar

Emoryss study abroad programs have experienced explosive growth during the last four years. From the 1996-97 academic year, overall student participation has risen nearly 23 percent, and the number of students opting for a semester or year abroad -- as opposed to summer study -- has soared 740 percent, according to the Center for International Programs Abroad (CIPA). Semester abroad programs have grown from four programs in four countries, to more than 40 programs in 23 countries. Summer study options have grown from nine programs in six countries, to 16 programs in 12 countries. The newest programs include an academic exchange with the University of Cape Town in South Africa (the college's first formal linkage with an African university); a semester abroad for Tibetan Buddhist studies in Dharamsala, India, that is a partnership with the Dalai Lama's Drepung Loseling Monastery; and a summer program in Spanish at the Instituto del Librowith in Havana, Cuba.

What prompted the dramatic expansion of study abroad programs? With the growing globalization of the world economy and increasing diversity at home, it was clear that Emory needed greater study abroad options. A blue-ribbon committee of faculty, staff and students addressed the situation and in 1997 produced "Internationalizing Emory: A Strategy for Leadership in Global Education." It included several provisions to strengthen Emory's commitment to international education.

The Halle Institute for Global Learning, for instance, was born from this effort. The committee also recognized the importance of a strong study abroad program so the university expanded its own programs and offered financial aid. Prior to the 1997-98 academic year students had to pay all their own bills for studying abroad, which kept participation down.

Actively promoting international study has been another reason for the increase, according to Howard Rollins, director of CIPA. "There was a significant interest in a small group of students who realized that international study was important," he says. "Since then, because we have been much more aggressive in promoting our programs, we are reaching a much wider audience of students."

Participation cuts across all disciplines, but it is a tougher sell for science majors, according to Rollins. Emory addresses these students' concerns by mixing major-study classes with other subjects specific to the country where the students are located (a biology major taking a course in Shakespeare while studying in London, for example). The plan appears to be working. Exit interviews indicated that 37 percent of last year's graduating seniors studied abroad. "If we can get 40 percent, that's a significant accomplishment," says Howard Rollins, director of the Center for International Programs Abroad.

Related Releases:

International Study Programs Expanding

Big Growth in Study Abroad Includes New Programs in Cuba, Cape Town, Dharamsala

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