A congressionally created commission released a report yesterday on undergraduate study abroad, issuing a goal for a dramatic increase in overall student participation in international education initiatives. In related news, the University's study abroad program was recognized yesterday for being ranked No. 17 for its number of students studying abroad in a survey done by the Institute for International Education.
The Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, which was created in 2004 in honor of the late Illinois Senator Paul Simon, released its report yesterday calling for a diversified increase in involvement in study abroad programs across a strata of both community colleges and traditional universities, said Jessica Townsend Teague, program manager and assistant to the executive director of the commission.
"Of the total number of enrolled undergraduates, we have been sending just at or just a bit below 1 percent annually," Teague said. "Our goal is to send a million students abroad and to democratize this opportunity."
Teague said the Commission also supports initiatives to send students to non-traditional sites of study, which oftentimes are more cost-effective than conventional international studies programs.
She said the typical study abroad participant is a white female with a humanities major studying in Western Europe.
"If our next generation is to be globally competitive in a market place with quickly emerging leaders such as China and India, we have to get into the swing of things," Teague said. "If our country's complexion is more completely represented by a greater variety of Americans studying overseas, we will present a better picture of who we are as an American people."
The Lincoln Commission plans to create a scholarship and fellowship program with a two-tiered approach at giving grants to students to promote overseas study, Teague said.
"Twenty-five percent of our money will flow to students through a national competition," she said. "The other 75 percent of the fellowship money will be distributed through institutions."
Of that 75 percent of monies allotted to institutions, 88 percent will go directly to the students and the rest will go to the institutions to promote "building capacity" for international studies, Teague said.
Rebecca Brown, Director of the International Studies Office, said her office is reviewing the Lincoln Commission opportunity to apply for funding on behalf of University students. Brown said she is excited about the University's ranking as No. 17 in the related Institute for International Education's "Open Doors 2005" report.
"The IIE is a nonprofit organization that works to promote international education in the broadest sense," Brown said. "We're very pleased to be now ranking among the top-20 universities in the country with regard to the number of students studying abroad."
Brown said the number of University students participating in study abroad programs has increased dramatically in recent years, and she expects the trend to continue.
"In the past four years, the numbers of students studying abroad at the University of Virginia has doubled," she said. "We are where we are, but we're continuing to grow; that's why I think we'll be ranked even higher in future years."
University students are offered a number of study abroad options through the International Studies Office, amongst other resources. Leigh Grossman, vice provost for International Affairs, said she wanted numbers of participants in programs to rise.
"My goal is for every single undergraduate, and ... graduate, to spend time abroad," she said. "I would like to see them all step out of their own comfort zone."
The experiences and knowledge gained from international study are just as important as those found in the classroom, said fourth-year College student Marie Joanis, who studied in Lyon, France, during the summer of 2004.
"It's good to get out and see a different way of living," Joanis said. "You can't get the full flavor of the culture if you're just reading from a book. Everyone I've talked that has gone abroad wants to go back as soon as possible."
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