To understand how to expand education abroad opportunities, we need to understand who is not going abroad. Presenters will share what they've done (or are doing) to expand participation with respect to the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture. Participants will be invited to share best practices on how to change perception and make study abroad – academic study, work, or internships – more accessible. Case studies will include the Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries (CEDC) Haiti Initiative, an innovative student-directed program; Susquehanna University, which made study away a curricular requirement; and Medgar Evers College, the only Predominantly Black College (PBI) in the City University of New York, will explain how a one-person office has increased the numbers of underrepresented students going abroad.

1. Who is Not Studying Abroad?
An examination of three institutional perspectives on expanding study abroad opportunities
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2. Your Presenters:
Wagaye Johannes, Chair, Institute of International Education
Scott Manning, Dean of Global Programs and Associate Professor of French at Susquehanna University. Uttiyo Raychaudhuri, Director for Study Abroad at Clemson University Michelle Tolan, Field Director for Diversity Access and Research Institute for Study Abroad, Butler University

3. What Do We Know?

4. 4
U.S. Study Abroad Trends
• More students than ever – nearly 300,000
• More non-credit opportunities
• More short term programs

5. Diversity & U.S. Study Abroad
Targeted outreach, recruitment and funding can substantially increase minority participation in study abroad.
U.S. Study Abroad 2012/13
Total Minorities: 24%
African American
Asian/Pacific Islander
Hispanic
Other
White
*U.S. Department of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 2013
Gilman Program 2012/13
Total Minorities 59%
U.S. Higher Education*
Total Minorities: 39%

8. Three “GameChangers”
Expanding Study Abroad Opportunities

9. Institute For Study Abroad, Butler University’s
First Generation College Student Program

10. •What is our responsibility as a non-profit study abroad organization? Who are we trying to educate?
•Often have research and internship opportunities not available at the undergraduate level in the U.S.
•Global citizenry

11. Curriculum Challenges
Critical FGCS Characteristics:
•More practical, focused on vocation; more likely to be non-humanities majors
•Less likely to achieve high scores on college entrance examinations and enter college without AP credits
•Academic (not financial) restrictions cited as largest contributor to attrition for study abroad (University of Texas)

12. Cost
Critical FGCS Characteristics:
Less likely to take out loans, are financially and academically risk averse
More likely to come from a low socioeconomic background
Less likely to participate in “optional” activities: perception of investment
IFSA-Butler First Generation College Student Scholarship
–Where/when do they need funds?
–For what programs and student status is it eligible?
–How do we decide?
Results: Fall 2012 participants: 2% first gen; Spring 2014 participants: 17% first gen

13. Changing Institutional Culture
Deficits vs Assets
–Cultural deficit model: stems from (often negative) assumptions about students’ “cultural deprivation.”
•Absolves us from the responsibility to educate all students appropriately?
–Rethinking forms of capital
•Aspirational, social, and navigational (Yosso, 2005)
Results: WORK IN PROGRESS.

14. Lessons Learned
•Money isn’t the only barrier, or even the primary barrier.
•Be prepared to provide additional mentoring and support through the entire process.
•Where a critical-mass of students exists, identify allies serving them. They are the trusted advisors who will advocate for study abroad if they believe in it, and you.
•Try to meet them halfway (e.g. summer programs, center-based programs). They might not all be ready for an immersive, semester long experience.
•Career Focus messaging
•Avoid further marginalizing students in an attempt to support them.

15. Susquehanna University:
The SU Global Opportunities (GO) Program

16. What did it take to double (triple) study abroad at Susquehanna University?

17. Identified the Obstacles
•70% of incoming students said they planned to study abroad
•30% actually studied abroad
•What were the challenges?

18. Curriculum Challenges
•Students: Perceived difficulty of semester away (despite generous financial aid and course transfer policies)
•Institution: Creating pathways for shorter but equally substantive experiences

19. Students
–Large first-generation population
–Lack of travel experience
–Close-knit campus community
–Large percentage of student athletes
Institution
–Shift emphasis from academic study abroad to experiential learning
–Broaden study abroad to study away
–Increased co- curricular support before & after study away

20. Cost Challenges
•Students: Between high-need and no-need
•Institution: Budget for significant need-based grant aid commitment

21. Clemson University:
The Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries Haiti

22. Clemson University:
The Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries Haiti

23. 7 Civil Engineering students in 2009
90 across 30 majors in 2014
Overview
Creative Inquiry

24. Curriculum

25. Cost

26. Culture

27. Lessons Learned

28. u
What actions/ideas will you pursue to break barriers?