Publications
Task Force on Institutional Management of Study Abroad
Read the Press Release.
A Message from NAFSA President, Ron Moffatt
Study abroad programs provide opportunities for international learning that are critical to the education of American college students and, in the long term, to the capacity of the United States to lead responsibly and compete effectively on the global stage. America’s college students recognize the great value—indeed, the necessity—of an education that includes international skills, and demand for study abroad opportunities has grown substantially over the past decade.The growth of study abroad and the necessity to ensure its quality and safety have given rise to myriad institutional arrangements depending on the needs and the situation of the institution involved. In order for this crucial element of U.S. higher education to be beyond reproach, it is time for the profession to review these arrangements and develop guidelines for the consideration of senior university management.
In choosing to focus on institutional management of study abroad, NAFSA recognizes that study abroad providers—institutions that open their own programs to others, as well as more independent program providers—are an important resource for the field. For many institutions, especially smaller ones, the use of study abroad providers permits a diversity of offerings the institution itself could not provide. Quality programs from third-party providers can also be instrumental in serving the growing demand among students for study abroad experiences.
At the same time, colleges and universities—responsible for the educational quality of student experiences—can and should take the lead in developing business relationships that benefit students in their fields of study and provide student support, serve institutional strategy for international education, and are cost-effective.
Within this context, NAFSA is creating a task force to broadly examine institutional management of study abroad, with a charge that follows.
Ron Moffatt
President
Charge to the Task Force
NAFSA’s Task Force on Institutional Management of Study Abroad will:recommend core principles, values, and behaviors for senior campus administrators to consider as they develop policies and practices to guide the management of the study abroad function.With international education firmly embedded in the institutional mission, the question becomes how to properly translate that “mission-level” commitment into action with the goal of achieving effective institutional management of study abroad. In developing recommendations for accomplishing this task, the task force will consider four principles in its work:
- Serving the best interest of the student
- Advancing the institution’s commitment to learning through international experiences
- Fostering the educational integrity of the institution
- Preserving the financial stability of both study abroad programs and the institution-as-a-whole
Due to the diversity of the nation’s educational institutions, approaches to management of study abroad must be tailored to recognize varying situations and needs. Thus in each institution, the challenge to senior campus administrators is to balance these principles for that particular campus. The recommendations of this task force will assist senior campus administrators as they shape the future of study abroad on their campuses.
The task force will report its recommendations to the Board of Directors of NAFSA at the end of November, with the final report to be issued on or around December 15, 2007. The report will provide a concise set of recommendations.
In its considerations, the task force will also review work that has already been done on these issues by NAFSA, other associations, and educational institutions themselves.
Note as of November 26, 2007: The task force report is now scheduled for release in early January, rather than before the December holidays.
Composition of the Task Force
NAFSA President Ron Moffatt has asked John Hudzik, Vice President for Global Engagement and Strategic Projects at Michigan State University to chair the task force. Everett Egginton, Dean of International and Border Programs at New Mexico State University and NAFSA president-elect will also serve as a NAFSA Board of Directors member on the task force. The NAFSA Board of Directors asked Hudzik and Egginton to appoint up to eight additional members of the task force, representing a variety of institutional types.Task Force Members (as of September 14, 2007):
- John K. Hudzik (Chair), Vice President, Global Engagement and Strategic Projects
Michigan State University - Karen Hunter Anderson, Vice President for Adult Education and Institutional Support
Illinois Community College Board - Joseph Brockington, Associate Provost for International Programs
Kalamazoo College - Robert A. Corrigan, President
San Francisco State University - Everett Egginton, Dean, International Border Programs and NAFSA President-elect
New Mexico State University - Pamela Brooks Gann, President
Claremont McKenna College - Marlene M. Johnson, Executive Director and CEO
NAFSA: Association of International Educators - Pamela Jolicoeur, President
Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) - Kavita Pandit, Senior Vice Provost, Academic Affairs
The State University of New York - Kathleen Sideli, Associate Vice President for Overseas Study
Indiana University - Thelma B. Thompson, President
University of Maryland-Eastern Shore - Humphrey R. Tonkin, President Emeritus
University of Hartford
