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St. Olaf College ranks No. 1 in number of students who study abroad

By Carole Leigh Engblom
December 3, 2003

Understanding other cultures may have been an option once upon a time, but no more. The importance of increasing student knowledge and awareness of the world's cultures, peoples and languages is more important than ever.

According to "Open Doors 2003," 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, American students continue to regard study abroad as a cri tical component of their higher education experience despite a weak economy and post-9/11 concerns.

St. Olaf College retains its position as the No. 1 bachelor of arts institution in the United States in both number and percentage of students who study off-campus, according to "Open Doors 2003." Nearly two-thirds of St. Olaf College's class of 2002 participated in an international study program during their four years at the college, with another 22 percent studying off-campus in a domestic study program. This year alone, more than 950 of St. Olaf's 3,000 students studied at a location off-campus.

"We are all students of the world we live in, and today, our world is more interdependent than ever before," says U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "International education, learning about other cultures and languages through study, living overseas and interacting with peopl e of other countries promotes the free exchange of ideas, allows us to seek joint solutions to problems and helps create lasting partnerships to meet our shared concerns."

"Open Doors 2003" reports that the 4.4 percent increase in U.S. students a broad in academic year 2001-02, while not as steep a growth rate as the previous year's 7.4 percent increase, is still a strong indicator of the tremendous interest in international study, especially given the challenging economic and geopolitical context in which students were making their study abroad decisions. On the whole, international study has been increasing dramatically in recent years, with four years of double-digit growth in the "boom" years of the late 1990s.

Since 1991-92, the nati onal number of students studying abroad has more than doubled (from 71,154 to 160,920, an increase of 126 percent).

"The continuing and strong increase in study abroad is especially important against the backdrop of today's headlines," says IIE P resident Allan E. Goodman. "Having our successor generation learn more about other countries and societies -- while serving as cultural ambassadors to their peers -- enables young Americans to contribute directly to creating a more peaceful world."

St. Olaf College has long been recognized as a pioneer in international study. For more than 40 years, St. Olaf has invested the resources necessary to provide students and faculty with the opportunities to engage in a truly global perspective, a majo r objective in the mission statement of the college. Students currently select from more than 120 study programs at universities in Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Central America, North and South America, and Austr alia.

St. Olaf students are not enrolled in "island programs" that keep them with other students from their own country, but are "immersed in the host country, host culture and student life of the exchange institution from the moment they arrive in-country," says Patrick Quade, director of the St. Olaf Office of International and Off-Campus Studies. "These experiences help St. Olaf students gain perceptions, understanding, acceptance and resp ect for other people based on a real and true interaction with a new culture."

First-ranked St. Olaf College, with 644 students who studied overseas in 2001-02, is one of four Minnesota colleges recognized according to the percentage of study abr oad students. Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., is ranked fourth with 426 study abroad students; College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minn., is ranked 12th with 361 study abroad students; and, Carleton College, Northfi eld, Minn., is ranked 14th with 356 study abroad students.

Falling in behind St. Olaf, in order of ranking are: second, Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y., 544 students; third, Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 429 students; fifth, Lee Universi ty, Cleveland, Tenn., 415 students; sixth, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., 406 students; seventh, Union College, Schenectady, N.Y., 400 students; eighth, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Fla., 388 students; ninth, DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., 38 4 students; 10th, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt., 383 students; 11th, Colby College, Waterville, Maine, 372 students; 13th, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colo., 358 students; 15th, Lafayette College, Easton, Pa., 344 students; 16th, Messiah Col lege, Grantham, Pa., 340 students; 17th, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass., 331 students; 18th, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa., 329 students; 19th, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, 327 students; and, 20th, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Ore., 319 s tudents.

Highlights of study abroad data from Open Doors 2003 is available from the Institute of International Education.

Contact Carole Leigh Engblom at 507-646-3271 or leigh@stolaf.edu.