The College's commitment to international study was recognized
recently by the Institute for International Education, which ranked the College
seventh among peer institutions nationwide in the number of students who engage
in study abroad.
The College sent 400 students to study abroad during the
2001-2 academic year. Saint Olaf
College ranked first with 644 students, Colgate
University second with 544. After
that the grouping was tight. A margin of only 29 students separated Smith
College, in third place, and Union.
“The IIE study validates what those of us at Union
have held all along,” said William Thomas,
director of international programs. “International study is an important part of
the undergraduate experience, and at Union it is an
integral part of the curriculum.”
The number of U.S. university-level students receiving
credit for study abroad in 2001/02 increased 4.4 percent from the previous
year, reaching a record total of 160,920, according to Open Doors 2003, the annual report on international education
published by the IIE with funding from the State Department's Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs.
“Despite a weak economy and post-9/11 concerns, American
students continue to regard study abroad as a critical component of their
higher education experience,” said an IIE release that accompanied the study.
For more details on the IIE study, see: http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/.