Valuing Study Abroad

Valuing Study Abroad: The Global Mandate for Higher Education, a new briefing paper published by IIE’s Center for Academic Mobility Research, presents the remarks that Scott Freidheim, the Chief Executive Officer, Europe, for Investcorp International, and member of IIE’s Board of Trustees, gave at the British Academy’s International Conference in London in March 2012. Freidheim discussed the U.S. perspective on study abroad, including data and trends from the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, which shows that fewer than two percent of U.S. students study abroad each year, and the majority of these do so for short-term programs rather than for a year or semester abroad. He also commented on certain obstacles and opportunities for encouraging more students to study abroad.

In addition to Freidheim’s remarks, this briefing paper includes excerpts of the British Academy and UCML position statement, as well as additional data on the landscape of study abroad.

This briefing paper was produced through the IIE Center for Academic Mobility Research. This Center brings together the Institute’s in-house research expertise with leading minds from around the world to conduct and disseminate timely and relevant research and policy analysis in the field of international student and faculty mobility. The Center provides applied research and program evaluation services to domestic and international governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, corporations, and foundations.