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St. Olaf tops U.S. colleges for number of students it sends abroad

By Amy Gage
November 24, 2002

Pat Quade
Quade
St. Olaf College sends more students abroad to study than any other baccalaureate college in the United States, according to data released Nov. 19 by the Institute for International Education (IIE) in New York City. For the fifth year running, St. Olaf has placed among the top five U.S. colleges in IIE rankings, according to Pat Quade, director of international studies at the college. "Being No. 1 is not the most important thing," says Quade, though he concedes that he's thrilled by the first-place ranking. "What is important is that we have a very hard-working faculty who supports the concept of cross-cultural learning in many different ways, including recruiting students to go on programs." Given that the three main points of the St. Olaf mission statement include a global perspective, the IIE figures demonstrate that St. Olaf has its priorities in place, Quade says. Other Minnesota colleges that placed in the Top 20 of the IIE list include Carleton College, Gustavus Adolphus College and Saint John's University/College of Saint Benedict.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.