The Citadel Joins Institute of International Education Coalition to

Double Number of Students Who Study Abroad by End of Decade

10% of the corps of cadets to study abroad by 2019

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Charleston, March 3, 2014—The Citadel has pledged to join the Institute of International Education (IIE)’s Generation Study Abroad initiative to double the number of American students who study abroad by the end of the decade. The Citadel has committed to increase the number of undergraduate students who study abroad to 10% over the next five years.

Leading up to IIE’s centennial celebration in 2019, Generation Study Abroad will engage educators at all levels and stakeholders in the public and private sectors to drive meaningful, innovative action to increase the number of U.S. students who have the opportunity to gain international experience through academic study abroad programs, as well as internships, service learning and non-credit educational experiences. The Citadel is among the lead partners who have committed to specific, measurable actions that will help reach this ambitious goal; the result will be thousands more American students graduating with the international experience necessary for success in a globalized world.

Building on its nearly 100-year commitment to study abroad, IIE has committed $2 million of its own funds to this initiative over the next 5 years. In order to achieve our goal of 10% of the corps of cadets studying abroad by 2019, we have created an action plan to include the following objectives:

1.      Increase the number of faculty-led summer programs

2.      Increase the number of courses that integrate an international experience within the course (fall and spring break travel)

3.      Maximize the number of students who participate in federally supported programs (eg. The US Army Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency (CULP) program and Project Global Officers (Project GO).

4.      Develop an international service learning experience that will satisfy the service learning requirement for the Sophomore Seminar in Principled Leadership course.

At The Citadel, we emphasize the importance of global awareness and believe that a study abroad experience enhances a student’s global outlook and overall education. Currently 5% of Citadel students go abroad to more than 20 countries every year. The Citadel offers 13 programs administered by the University/College, as well as in conjunction with multiple affiliate and independent organizations that provide study abroad experiences. Last year 31 students received study abroad scholarships from The Citadel, and 80% of students apply their financial aid to study abroad.

More than 150 higher education institutions from 41 U.S. states have already signed the Generation Study Abroad Commitment, including large state and private universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and historically black colleges and universities and other minority serving institutions. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and several foreign governments, as well as key higher education associations and study abroad provider organizations, have also pledged to support the goals of the initiative. Recognizing the importance of an internationally focused workforce, IIE is also actively seeking the participation of corporations and the business community. 

“Globalization has changed the way the world works, and employers are increasingly looking for workers who have international skills and expertise,” says Dr. Allan Goodman, President of IIE. “Studying abroad must be viewed as an essential component of a college degree and critical to preparing future leaders.”

IIE is launching Generation Study Abroad because the number and proportion of today’s students who graduate with an educational experience abroad is far too low. Currently, fewer than 10 percent of all U.S. college students study abroad at some point in their academic career. According to the Open Doors Report on International and Educational Exchange released by IIE last November with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 295,000 students studied abroad in 2011/12 in credit-bearing and non-credit programs. Generation Study Abroad aims to grow participation in study abroad so that the annual total reported will reach 600,000 by the end of the decade.  

With 2.6 million students graduating with associates or baccalaureate degrees each year, it is clear that major segments of America’s young people are not getting the international experience they will need to advance their careers and participate in the global economy, or to work together across borders to address global issues. 

For more information on IIE’s Generation Study Abroad initiative, and a complete list of commitment partners, go to: www.iie.org/generationstudyabroad.