1. Visualizing the
Challenge of Doubling
U.S. Study Abroad
By Jim Ellis, PhD - John D. Heyl, IEL Editor
Posted December 1, 2014
In 2005 the Lincoln Commission proposed “
.” (1) According to their report they estimated that
this
.” The report identifies the
importance of the international experience for the participants, for the
educational process and to the U.S. economy among others. The
commission also clearly stated that “
.” A majority of these issues continue to be unresolved, and the
efforts of the commission seem to have fallen into the crevasses of the
economic downturn that soon followed.
Fast forward to March 2014 when the Institute of
International Education (IIE) announced the
.” (2) As part of the initiative
IIE is calling on “ (of the approximately 4,599 degree-
granting US institutions (3)) “
.” This conversation has since evolved more towards less of a
focus on the doubling and more towards the involvement of “
.”(21) Clearly the benefit of all the discussion
this has generated has been to increase efforts to better understand
the nature of the challenge and the fine points involved. This is
exemplified by the Forum on Education Abroad's effort to support the
process through
” (22) It is
clear, however, that key to this is the ability of these institutions and
a bold
vision for the United States: Send one million students to study abroad
annually in a decade
figure represents "about 50 percent of the number of undergraduate
degrees (associate’s and bachelor’s) awarded annually by accredited
American colleges and universities
Although impediments of
institutional capacity, cost, and diversity of institutions and destinations
need to be addressed, the Commission believes that the nation can and
should establish a goal of one million students studying abroad annually by
2016–17
launch of "'Generation Study
Abroad' a five-year campaign to double the number of American students
who study abroad by the end of the decade
at least 500”
U.S. colleges and universities willing to
either double the number of their students studying abroad, or
significantly increase the participation rate of students who study abroad
at some point during their undergraduate career. Later phases include
mobilizing 1,000 high school teachers and engaging 10,000 alumni and
students
all levels
and stakeholders in the public and private sectors to encourage
purposeful, innovative action to get more Americans to undertake an
international experience
the "Education Abroad Capacity Review, a customized
QUIP review for Generation Study Abroad Commitment Partners.
IE NEWS
China in Urbana-
Champaign: Sweeping
analysis of growth of Chinese
student population at the
University of Illinois by Elizabeth
Redden. See:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/07/uiuc-
growth-number-chinese-
students-has-been-dramatic
* * *
They propose a series of
knowledge and skill areas that
we would also argue are
important if not key for such
stewardship, including
The question we
pose can be framed as they do:
“
?” Heyl (20)
proposes an ideal solution,
creating a core set of
“benchmark courses/seminars
in a globally focused curriculum
for the 21st century” with
students beginning with “Global
Education: 101” and moving
upwards through the levels
until reaching Global Education
404 where they bring their skills
to bear on global problems and
demonstrate their
competencies from knowledge
through ethics and
understanding to application.
Indeed, if a core curriculum
such as this were applied across
the disciplines we do believe
many of these challenges
abroad, we need a similar effort
across all institutions. We also
concur with Williamson that “
.” (14)
The initial steps such as those of
the Forum Standards and the
Education Abroad Capacity
Review will go a long way for
those participating in these
processes in addressing this
need. The challenge, however,
remains if we want our graduates,
our institutions and our local
population centers to be globally
competitive and especially so in
the global knowledge economy
that ALL of our students are
entering.
is on
the right path in seeking
public/private partnerships at
both the college and eventually
the high school levels to advance
abroad experiences for a far
larger proportion of U.S. students.
If we wish to achieve this goal on
a permanent and expanding
basis, however, much work is yet
to be done.
References:
1. Commission on the Abraham
Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship
Program.(2005)
http://www.nafsa.org/uploadedFiles/NAFSA_Home/Res
n=6097
:
“Scientific Understanding,
Cultural Understanding,
Understanding of Global Issues,
Skills For Global Engagement, and
Dispositions For Global
Engagement.”
What do our graduates need to
know to be able to exercise
stewardship
If we
want students to take an active role
in their education, then we should
be setting up processes and
procedures that enable them to
think and move more freely
IIE's Generation Study Abroad
Global
Competence & National Needs
Tel.: 520.784.1068
Email: info@ieleaders.net
(/)
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2. future participants to address the most significant elements affecting
study abroad participation and the mobilization of the needed
resources.
The question at hand, therefore, is: W
? Both the Lincoln
Commission and IIE have focused on one aspect of the drivers of study
abroad - finances. Both propose commitment of funds as key to their
efforts. But are the funds enough and are such funds truly the key
driving element? Having worked at a number of public research
universities serving different student communities we and our
colleagues did a rough calculation of what it would take to address
increasing the number of students studying abroad as identified by
student surveys and which identified the lack of funding to be one key
concern (funding, need to work, personal/family and safety security
issues being other key elements). Following discussions and reviews of
students who financed their study abroad we developed an estimate
that ranged between $3,000 to $4,000 per student for those interested
in study abroad and limited by personal funding. Thus to double our
roughly 60 students studying abroad each year the total requisite
funding would be approximately $180,000 to $240,000. Of course this
was assuming there were no other factors affecting the study abroad
numbers, such as the growing reluctance of students and families to
increase their debt loads while in college.
Other key questions that also must be answered are: What are the
factors affecting a student’s decision to study abroad during their
higher education years? and What is happening to study abroad
interests in the higher education process that is reflected in part
through the National Survey on Student Engagement? For example, for
many years now when first-year freshmen were polled about their
intention to study abroad, they stated that they plan to do so in
relatively large numbers; by the time they are seniors, however, very
few have actually done so (2010 & 2012 - 42% and only 14% of seniors
respond that they have done so.) (4,5) Frankly, until we address some
of the core issues in a systematic way proposals such as the ones being
made recently may simply be temporary and lacking in long term
sustainability.
To address the above, it would help if we had models to visualize
exactly what the factors are affecting study abroad participation with
respect to those who wish to study abroad and those who say they will
not study abroad. From nearly 25 years of experience in the field with
multiple institutions we have come to view the
following as helpful in visualizing the
dynamics of study abroad.
There are different infographics and interactive statistical maps that
are now appearing using census as well as IIE data. Perhaps the one
that best maps the “international” U.S. is the “Mapping the Nation”
Project by the Asia Society and NAFSA. Taking demographic, economic,
language and education data the project provides snapshots in time of
the “international” status of the U.S. by state. However this project
readily acknowledges that “Education data that measures global
competence is incomplete. There are no data-centered assessments
measuring student global competency. The lack of data is in many ways
an indicator that, up to the present, the true value of global
competency has not been recognized.” (6,7) And as such competencies
are an expected outcome from study abroad it raises additional
questions. This mapping does no more than provide the data in a
visual/graphic mode without overlay or other analysis, thus leaving it
up to readers to come to their own conclusions. There are of course
many other mappings based on different statistics about the U.S. that
one could overlay onto these maps and which may not result in a 1:1
correlation but rather offer some strong implications as to possible
meanings. (8,9,10)
Due to the many factors affecting study abroad participation, perhaps
we need a new model. The figure below is designed to show the study
abroad (SA) “iceberg,” visualizing both what we see above the
“waterline” and the challenges that exist largely out of sight and below
the “waterline.”
hat will it take to
make the effort to meet this challenge a success
related to this model would be
addressed.
5. Address the regional
institutional disparities in SA
and Global Perspectives. It is
clear that study abroad
participation varies not only by
discipline but also by
institution, region and funding
resources with each reflecting
the character of its region. Can
we conclude all the
mapping/infographics discussed
above and the data sources
from which these were
developed that they reflect this
as well? With the world urban
population expected to increase
by 72 per cent by 2050 and such
being unevenly distributed
among cities of different sizes it
is clear that there may indeed
be key approach differences
needed. (12) As larger “global
cities” form within the U.S. and
becoming increasingly
associated with their
institutions of higher education
the resource and other
challenges for regional city
centers and their educational
institutions will surely become
more complex. (13)
Partnerships, online education,
MOOC’s and related efforts will
need to be considered and must
include as well as foster the
Global Perspective and access to
study abroad components.
6. Comprehensive structural
changes. As Wendy Williamson
states
” (14) Such system
changes will need to include
changes in how study abroad is
viewed as an important “High-
Impact Practice”. NSSE 2010
found that of faculty in four
academic disciplines (Business,
English, Biology, Psychology)
between 38% (Biology) and 58%
(English) valued study abroad as
an important or very important
HI practice. And yet,
institutional practices that
require study abroad offices to
be a "revenue center" and thus
discourage collaboration with
other off-campus programs and
program provider organizations
lead to one of the most
inefficient student programs - in
terms of broadening student
participation - in all of U.S.
higher education.
7. Changing faculty perceptions
and expectations. How our
faculty view abroad experiences
as part of their teaching,
research, disciplinary mobility
2. Institute of International
Education. (2014)
.
http://www.iie.org/Who-We-
Are/News-and-Events/Press-
Center/Press-Releases/2014/2014-
03-03-Generation-Study-Abroad
3. U.S. Department of Education,
National Center for Education
Statistics. (2013).
4. National Survey of Student
Engagement. (2010).
.
http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE_2010_Results/pdf/NSSE_2010_
5. National Survey of Student
Engagement. (2012).
.
http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE_2012_Results/pdf/NSSE_2012_
6. Asia Society (2013) Mapping
the Nation.
http://mappingthenation.net/map.html
7. US Dept of Education (2013).
Mapping the Nation: Making the
Case for Global Competency
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/11/mapping-
the-nation-making-the-case-for-
global-competency/
8. The Economist. (2011)
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/u
9. The Economist. (2014)
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/0
states-map-and-guide
10. The New York Times. (2014)
.
http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2014/01/05/po
map/?ref=multimedia
11. MLS Group. (2014) The
Millennial Compass: The
Millennial Generation In The
Workplace.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/211602632/The-
Millennial-Compass-The-
Millennial-Generation-In-The-
Workplace
12. United Nations, Department
of Economic and Social Affairs,
Population Division. (2012)
: Highlights. New York,
http://esa.un.org/unup/Documentation/highlights.htm
13. Coursera. (2014)
’ by Kris
Olds, Susan L. Robertson. Week 2:
“. . . if we are going to take
this ambitious goal seriously,
colleges and universities must re-
evaluate their policies,
procedures, and “politics” with
respect to education abroad, and
deconstruct the many barriers
that they themselves have put
into place.
Press Release
Institute of International Education
Leads Coalition to Double Number
of Students Who Study Abroad by
End of Decade
Digest of
Education Statistics, 2012
http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?
id=84
Major
differences: Examining student
engagement by field of study—
annual results 2010
Promoting
Student Learning and Institutional
Improvement: Lessons from NSSE at
13
US
interactive guide.
United
States map and guide States of the
Union
Mapping Poverty in America
World
Urbanization Prospects, the 2011
Revision
Globalizing
Higher Education and Research for
the ‘Knowledge Economy

3. Row 1 above the (wave) line proposes that many of students who
study abroad have the economic means (through family, financial aid,
scholarships and grants) to study abroad; the closer to the line we get
are those with borderline economic means to support their efforts.
Additionally, it is proposed that these students also have the family,
home, cultural and academic drivers already as motivational
constructs when they come to college. Once in college the institutional
drivers work to foster the student(s) to avail themselves of the
resources to further their interest in study abroad. The “above water
study abroad triangle” is inverted suggesting that the closer one gets to
the line the harder it is for these “motivated” students who have
increasing challenges in one or more of these drivers the closer they
get to the threshold or the “waterline”.
Row 2 the (wave) line itself represents the function of the factors
that influence study abroad over time coming in “waves” with peaks
and valleys. These “waves” will affect this threshold population of
students on both sides of the line. Those students finding themselves
at a higher level above the line will be less affected, just as those
deeper below the line will be harder to reach.
Finally, Row 3 below the (wave) line includes the target group of
students that represent the “doubling target numbers” that must be
reached within the broader population who might study abroad or
have decided not to study abroad. We would also argue that any such
effort to double the SA population needs to address those in the
population just above the line to stabilize and regularize that threshold
group participation PLUS it needs to address those in the proposed
doubling population that could study abroad if the driving factors
affecting them can be addressed. Clearly there is a very large
population of students who either have "decided" not to study abroad
or may be considering study abroad (55% of first year freshmen per
2010 & 2012 NSSE findings). (4,5)
Within this population are not only the traditional student groups who
do not currently study abroad but also the millennial generation (born
between 1984 and 1996) who recently in a multi country survey of “
”. (11)
The U.S. responders in fact ranked "Working in a multi-cultural
environment" #14 and "International experience" #15 out of the 15
factors with the lowest percentage of importance (next to France)
across the countries compared. Furthermore the report goes on to
conclude that “
.”
(11) If all these factors indeed are in play we believe this population of
Generation Study Abroad hopefuls will be much harder to reach until
we have a deeper understanding of what the factors are that have led
them to these decisions and how to address the changes needed to
affect such factors.
The following are some key areas that must be addressed in order to
ultimately strengthen and create a permanent study abroad presence
in U.S. higher education - and indeed even to double the numbers to
meet the GSA challenge.
1. Integrated Global Perspectives across the curriculum. What is the
out
of 15 work-life factors ranked by The Millennial Compass survey
respondents, international experience was the least important and
working in multi-cultural environment was second least important
Even though Millennials travel virtually in and out of their
comfort zones all the time, they’re less eager to make a physical move
and even tenure standards is
critical to this process as well.
Charles and Deardorff (15) lend
further support to this view of a
need for structural change in
their recent article “
hey
point out that “
.” Clearly the
focus on numbers without an
understanding of the core
campus-wide aspects of how
globalization is being
incorporated across the
curriculum for all students,
faculty and, yes, campus staff is
indeed problematic at best.
8. Creating strong and stable
financial resource mechanisms
for fostering broader student
mobility in ways that not only
establishes this as a local but
also a national priority - while
also helping those most in need
without placing them in further
financial jeopardy over the long
term. National efforts that fund
thousands instead of hundreds
of students in a significant way
will be needed if we are to
remain competitive as a nation.
In Europe the Erasmus+
Program established this year
(2014) is projected to have a
budget “
” (16) (or
2.5 billion a year!) and is
expected to serve over four
million students over the same
time period (17). Indeed the
statistics show that since its
inception in 1987 this program
has achieved the 3 million mark
as of 2013 of students supported
for study abroad (having
supported the last million
between 2008 and 2013!) (16). As
it is projected that 10% or more
of the higher education
students enrolled in Europe
have studied abroad as part of
their degree or
internship/trainee programs, it
is clear that significant
commitments to structural
aspects AND funding of
students, faculty and staff
(which Erasmus does) can have
a major impact on mobility.
Robert Swap, an award-winning
educator, NASA scientist and
global research team builder, in
speaking about international
service learning and why there
still are so few programs in
Africa and other parts of the
developing world, summarized
the issue nicely. To the question
posed by interviewer Parke
Muth (former Associate Dean at
the University of Virginia) “Do
you feel that colleges are
Universities, City-Regions, and
New Territorial Configurations.
https://www.coursera.org/course/globalhighered
14. Williamson, Wendy. (2014)
.
http://www.studyabroadscout.com/blog/generation-
study-abroad-and-the-pink-
elephant
15. Charles, Harvey & Deardorff,
Darla K. (2014)
World
Wise, Chronicle of Higher
Education, July 26, 2014.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/worldwise/a-
failure-to-capitalize-on-
globalization/33965
16. European Commission (2014)
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-
release_MEMO-14-476_en.htm
17. Professionals in International
Education (PIE). 2014.
http://thepienews.com/news/record-
270000-erasmus-students-study-
abroad-2012-13/
18. Bennett, Douglas C., Cornwell,
Grant H., Al-Lail, Haifa Jamal And
Schenck, Celeste. (2014)
. From NAFSA Trends
and Insights for Global Leaders.
http://www.nafsa.org/EXPLORE_INTERNATIONAL_EDUC
FIRST_CENTURY__STEWARDSHIP_OF_THE_GLOBAL_COMM
and
Originally published by: AAC&U
Liberal Education, Fall 2012, Vol.
98, No. 4
http://www.aacu.org/LIBERALEDUCATION/LE-
FA12/BENNETT_CORNWELL_AL-
LAIL_SCHENCK.CFM
19. Muth, Parke (2014). Award
Winning Professor Shares Insights
About Teaching, Learning, and
Global Development – Bob Swap.
http://onlyconnectparke.blogspot.com/2014/08/award-
winning-professor-shares-
insights.html
20. Heyl, John D. (2014).
Globalization and the U.S.
University: Reactions, Trends, and
a Teachable Moment, in Sandra
Harris and Jason Mixon (Eds.),
Building Cultural Community
through Global Educational
Leadership, pp. 254-266. Ypsilanti,
MI: NCPEA Press.
21. IIE (2014) Generation Study
Abroad -
http://www.iie.org/Programs/Generation-
Study-Abroad
22. Forum on Education Abroad
(2014) Quality Improvement
Program (QUIP) for Generation
Study Abroad Commitment
Partners Education Abroad
Capacity Review
A Failure to
Capitalize on Globalization.” T
It is a long-
running myth in higher education
that enrolling international
students and sending students to
study abroad represent
significant campus
internationalization
of €15 billion for 2014-
2020, a 40% increase over the
previous period of time
Generation Study Abroad and the
Pink Elephant
A Failure to
Capitalize on Globalization.
Erasmus 2012-13: the figures
explained.
Almost
270,000 Erasmus students studied
abroad in 2012-13.
An
Education for the Twenty-First
Century: Stewardship of the Global
Commons

4. student knowledge of world issues (both across and within
disciplines)? How is this then reflected upon graduation? Indeed, do
they leave college with a Global Perspective on not only their discipline
of choice but the issues of the day? Anecdotally, we believe the
answers are reflected in the SA data and the NSSE numbers, similarly
through experience with students at both levels. From conversations
with students it appears that if students (and parents?) have low levels
of global knowledge/awareness the drive to study abroad will be
reflected in their lack of intent or at least in their strong hesitation to
study abroad.
2. Visible and applied institutional commitments to the international
experience. This begins with key senior leadership (president, provost,
deans and boards) having position statements and resource
commitments to university wide Global Perspectives. Connecting this
to the skill sets needed for not only “international” but also local
economic and community development. Institutions from universities
to community college reflect different priorities for their institutions,
and these different priorities are clearly reflected in their programs,
students and faculty. Thus, highly variable numbers participating in
abroad experiences or global learning curricula would be expected.
Interestingly, Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ) has recently
announced its first ever international student recruitment effort and
its first search for a Vice President for International Programs. Raising
an institution's global priorities is a key to spurring study abroad
participation.
3. Clearly understanding the impact of solely focusing on the total
number of students studying abroad. What does having x number of
students studying abroad truly mean? (Indeed, the same question can
be posed related to the drive to have y numbers of international
students on U.S. campuses). Could resources be better directed
towards a more unified model that focuses on a long-term goal that
ultimately could result in creating a culture of study abroad across the
campus as opposed to the short-term target of doubling numbers
today? Such a unidirectional focus on solely increasing the number of
study abroad participants may actually limit an institution's
internationalization goals and lead to neglect of the importance of
building a true global ethos institution-wide.
4. Realization that many students, if not the majority, will NOT be able
to take on the traditional study abroad experience while at the same
time making the opportunity available to all. Having a limited few
numbers of students graduating from U.S. colleges and universities
with a global perspective is not beneficial for either local or national
interests. Having all students graduating with a fundamental Global
Perspective and some with an enhanced perspective strengthened
through the SA experience would be an ideal to work towards. Perhaps
this is best stated in the proposed “ ” by
By Douglas C. Bennett, Grant H. Cornwell, Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, And
Celeste Schenck (18). >
Literacies For Global Stewardship
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putting the resources into
making this happen in such a
way that more students can
participate?” Dr. Swap
responds: “
.”
(19)
In closing, it is clear from
our experience that ultimately if
we want to change the
dynamics of study abroad we
must first work on the
expectations of students (their
parents, the faculty, and our
institutions). We are not
convinced that this is happening
uniformly across U.S. higher
education. Students need an
integrated university wide
curriculum that fosters global
awareness and understanding
that in itself can drive the wider
expectation to go abroad.
We then need the resource
commitment to make this
happen. Much as some
institutions are committed to
making sure ALL students use
their institutional aid to go
http://apps.forumea.org/EducationAbroadCapacityRev
Jim Ellis is an
international education
consultant and co-
manager of SECUSS-L.
He is a former SIO at
Auburn University and
the University of South
Alabama and Assistant
Director of Education
Abroad at Washington
State University and the
University of Florida.
John D. Heyl is IEL Editor
and former SIO at the University
of Missouri-Columbia and Old
Dominion University (VA).
* * *
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There are people who
want to support these types of
efforts, but they want to do it in a
joint fashion – they want to know
that there is commitment to a
joint venture, not just a one-way
proposition. In my estimation,
universities still have a long ways
to go to provide the types of
resources necessary to facilitate
an expansion and longevity of this
kind of educational experience
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