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Institute of International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
7th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1 (212) 984 5453
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Lansing State Journal
MSU is leader in U.S. students studying abroad
1,835 traveled to foreign lands during 2000-01
By Sharon Terlep
EAST LANSING - Michigan State University has more students studying around the globe than any other U.S. school, according to a study to be released today.
The distinction comes as MSU takes a lead role in changing the way American students learn in foreign lands - offering shorter programs for students increasingly pressed for time and money.
But while quicker trips allow more students to travel, educators say they also limit the cultural and educational value of the trip.
"They'd probably have a deeper cultural understanding if they stayed longer," said Kathleen Fairfax, director of MSU's Study Abroad office. "But when you're faced with students who simply cannot go for any time but shorter, that's the best option."
The 45,000-student school sent 1,835 students to other countries in 2000-01, the most recent data used for the study. That's up from 1,674 the year before.
About 1,900 students went abroad in 2001-02.
MSU offers nearly 200 study programs in about 60 countries.
The university - which also earned the No. 1 distinction for 1998-99 - surpassed Brigham Young University and Pennsylvania State University to snag the top spot. Brigham Young's program was hurt because it typically includes a large contingent in the Middle East, where travel is restricted.
Nationally, 154,168 students studied abroad in 2000-01, up from 143,590 the year before, according to the Open Doors 2002 Report by the New York-based Institute for International Education. The data doesn't include post-9-11 data that would show how the terrorist attacks affected programs.
At MSU, more than three-fourths of students who study abroad enroll in summer or nine-week programs. The rest go for fall and spring semester.
MSU is among about a dozen schools nationwide that have been key in popularizing downsized programs, said Allan Goodman, President of the Institute of International Education.
A decade ago a typical study abroad stay lasted at least a year and required several years of preparation. That limited participation mostly to people studying foreign languages, he said.
Now, stays of three or four months are common.
"Today it's for everybody," he said.
Increased access is vital because businesses increasingly require that employees be able to function in foreign lands, said John Sunnygard, study abroad director for No. 2-ranked University of Texas. He called MSU "the master" in short-term programs.
"Name one Fortune 500 company that does not define itself as international or global," he said. "They will be recruiting top talent from people who can function globally."
That's why studying abroad has been a top priority for MSU President Peter McPherson. The program has more than doubled under his nine-year tenure.
Making study abroad more affordable also has been vital to MSU's success, McPherson said. Many foreign programs cost no more than studying in East Lansing.
McPherson said the summer programs are enough time for a foreign study.
"What you don't want is for it to be so short you're really just a tourist," he said.
He wants to have 40 percent of MSU students to have participated in study abroad by 2006.
To increase participation, MSU's study abroad officials are rooting out college programs that send few students abroad and trying to help them develop programs to attract more, Fairfax said.
In the College of Advertising, for example, about 14 percent of the graduating class studied abroad. The college offers programs in France and Italy that fill up almost instantly. So officials will work with the college to open that course to more students.
Monique Williams of Flint has thought about going for overseas study but worries about going away for a long stint. She doesn't want to be away from home that long and can't afford to be out of school that long.
"I'd be a lot more likely to go if it was shorter," Williams said.
MSU's ranking will make a good selling point for the university, Fairfax said. Officials plan to incorporate the distinction into recruiting and marketing materials, she said.
"Being able to say we have the largest program in the country is a selling point," she said. "Everybody wants to be first."
MSU study abroad program tops listOn the Web
For more information, see http:// studyabroad.msu.edu/
Report on 2000-01
Michigan State University: 1,835
University of Texas: 1,633
New York University: 1,471
Florida State University: 1,464
University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign: 1,363
Report on 1999-2000
Brigham Young University: 1,967
Pennsylvania State University: 1,743
MSU: 1,674
University of Texas: 1,619
New York University: 1,471
Contact Sharon Terlep at 377-1066 or sterlep@lsj.com.
Published 11/18/2002
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