The Institute of International Education (IIE) released its Open Doors 2014 data today, and Colgate has again risen on two important lists representing the number of students studying abroad. This news is most welcome as President Jeffrey Herbst and Provost and Dean of the Faculty Douglas Hicks have made study abroad one of several priorities related to globalizing Colgate.
For example, a few weeks ago, the university announced the creation of the Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs at Colgate. Funded through a transformative $2.5 million gift and related challenge by Ed ’62 and Robin Lampert P’10, it features new partnerships in Africa, East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and South and Central America.
The Lampert gift-and-matching effort will ultimately yield $7.5 million for a growing number of international initiatives.
Colgate’s rise in the IIE ranks is no surprise. Financial aid is now portable to more than 100 approved programs in 50 countries, as well as for Colgate’s own faculty-led study groups.
According to the 2014 report, among all baccalaureate schools in the country, Colgate is:
- #1 in the number of students who participate in “mid-length” (i.e. semester) programs, up from #2 last year;
- #6 in the total number of students who studied abroad in 2012-13, up from #11.
Sixty-one percent of Colgate students study abroad, including those participating in extended study. This semester, students in ECON 239: The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Economic Development will travel to Bangladesh.
In spring 2015, students will travel to Greece, South Africa, and Uganda, in courses related to classics, Africana and Latin American studies, and environmental studies, respectively.
“We are globalizing the experience for Colgate students in a variety of ways, including sustained, semester-long study abroad, via Colgate’s study groups and other approved programs,” said Hicks. “We are also very intentional about our on-campus programming, in order to support and extend those experiences for all our students.”
The Institute of International Education is an independent nonprofit resource on international higher education exchange activity into and out of the U.S.