Study abroad programs stable

Despite the country’s feeble economy, study-abroad advisers at Pitt and three other… Despite the country’s feeble economy, study-abroad advisers at Pitt and three other Pennsylvania colleges and universities said that they have not yet noticed a decrease in the number of students who are applying to study abroad this year.

But more students are asking about the cost at information sessions and are waiting until the last minute to send deposits for the applications, said Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, director of Penn State’s study-abroad program.

‘From the beginning of the year, we’ve seen a lot of caution with students,’ she said.

Because of rising concerns that study-abroad programs might be too pricey for these budget-conscious times, colleges across the country have come up with a host of initiatives to encourage students’ chances to immerse themselves in other cultures while earning credits toward their degrees. From redirecting students to cheaper destinations such as Ecuador and China to incorporating study-abroad costs in their regular tuition, colleges want to encourage study abroad while cutting costs.Some have eliminated excursions. Others promote exchange programs. Still others redirect students to shorter programs, said Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Institute of International Education, a non-profit organization that manages international learning programs for various institutions.

‘It’s not just students who want to go abroad,’ she said. ‘The universities and government realize that our economic competitiveness depends on students who can compete in the global marketplace. Even if the economy is bad, we have to address international educational issues, as well.’

Like Wagner-Lawlor, officials at the IIE have seen an increase in the number of applications for national and international scholarship programs like the Gilman International Scholarship Program and the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, said Blumenthal. Similarly, a survey by the Association of International Educators found that 90 out of 131 educational institutions said they saw an increase in student questions about financial aid for study abroad.

Rather than raising program costs during these weak economic times, staff in Pitt’s Study Abroad Office are considering eliminating excursions and special dinners from the itinerary to save money, said Annagene Yucas, director of the office.

Study-abroad advisers at Pitt and Penn State are also promoting programs in non-traditional locations such as Africa or Latin America, because these places are cheaper than Europe or Australia.

Like the more traditional study-abroad destinations, students can take classes, conduct research, complete internships and live with native families in non-traditional areas and often obtain a better understanding of themselves in relation to the larger world, said Keely Carney, a sophomore at Pitt who studied in Ecuador last summer through the Center for Latin American Studies.

‘When I went to Ecuador, it was definitely a family-first culture,’ said Carney. ‘There wasn’t a single morning when my family didn’t have breakfast or dinner together, and then I went home, and it kind of changed how my family acted. It definitely opened my eyes a little bit.’

Students also think about the values and beliefs that they are raised with in America when they study in developing countries because they obtain the opportunity to test these values when they are away from everything that is familiar to them, said Kylee Allen, a graduate student at Leslie University. Allen is focusing on international education there and has spent five years teaching in Guatemala and traveling throughout South America.

‘As a young person, I was taught to work hard and earn what I received. But it’s a very American value — the idea of success is very different and the idea of family,’ said Allen. ‘Here in America, I think that we are losing the value of time with our friends and family, and we put a lot of emphasis on being a successful, achieving person in a very fast-paced environment. I think that slowly takes away from the full of the person.’

An IIE report on international educational exchange found that the number of American students who chose non-traditional study-abroad destinations like China, Argentina, South Africa, Ecuador and India in the 2006-2007 academic year increased by 20 percent from the previous year. Information for the 2007-08 year is not yet available, because the Institute conducts this research only after students return home and receive credit for their programs, said Blumenthal.

Besides eliminating excursions and promoting non-traditional locations, Penn State study-abroad advisers are emphasizing shorter study-abroad programs, including Penn State’s embedded and summer programs, said Wagner-Lawlor. The report found that 55 percent of American students chose short-term programs during the 2006-07 year, including summer terms and programs of two to eight weeks. In contrast, about 36 percent of students spent a semester abroad, and fewer than 5 percent spent a full academic or calendar year abroad.

Perhaps the most dramatic university push for study abroad, however, is happening at LaRoche College. Beginning this fall, all incoming students have their study-abroad experiences included in their tuition costs through the new ‘Beyond the Classroom Study Abroad — Study USA’ program, said Tom Schaefer, associate vice president for academic affairs at LaRoche.

After completing 60 credits, students will be able to experience a short-term study-abroad program in Central America, Europe or Asia, and this program will also be open to other students in Pittsburgh who want to cross-register with LaRoche, he said.

‘It’s part of our mission statement — the whole concept of globalization and international outreach,’ said Schaefer. ‘One mother told me that she didn’t have the money if her daughter wanted to go to China, but now she doesn’t have to worry.’