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St. Olaf leads four-year colleges in international studies participation

By Carole Leigh Engblom
January 10, 2005

St. Olaf College sent a higher percentage of its students abroad in 2002-03 than any other baccalaureate institution in the nation, according to Open Doors 2004, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with funding from the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. More than ever, American students now recognize the importance of study abroad in a globally interdependent world. In the first full academic year after the 9/11 attacks the number of U.S. higher education students receiving credit for study abroad increased sharply by 8.5 percent from the previous year, reaching a record total of 174,629, according

"I'm gratified to see the continued growth in the numbers of American students studying overseas," said Patricia Harrison, the State Department's Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs. "As the new Open Doors report shows, more students are studying abroad than ever before, a sign that young Americans clearly recognize the crucial role they will play in leading our nation into a world even more interdependent than it is today. By encouraging more students to participate in educational opportunities abroad, U.S. colleges and universities and the federal government through programs like the Fulbright Fellowships help expand our citizens' awareness of global issues and lay the groundwork for the kind of mutual understanding that builds a better future for all of us."

St. Olaf has held that top spot since the mid-1990s. This academic year, St. Olaf students will study in 43 countries, including Western nations such as Britain, relatively new democracies such as the Czech Republic, less-developed countries such as Bangladesh and Namibia, and tropical islands such as Tahiti.

Contact Carole Engblom at 507-786-3315 or leigh@stolaf.edu.