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One of America's 'Most International' For Immediate Release: 
Watson Fellowship recipient Sandy Hartmannsgruber ’05 immersing herself in local culture while studying abroad in Turkey. RICHMOND, Ind. — A report released this week by the Institute of International Education (IIE) found that while the number of U.S. students studying abroad continued to grow in 2005, the amount of time that these students are spending overseas has declined. Earlham College, with its emphasis on internationalization, is bucking this trend. According to the IIE survey results summarized in an InsideHigherEd.com report, Earlham had the second highest percentage of students who studied abroad among American undergraduate schools. Tennessee's Lee University bested Earlham by only 1.8 percentage points. Hartwick (New York), Austin (Texas) and Centre College (Kentucky) rounded out the top five. While New York University again topped the list of total number of students studying abroad, 18 colleges — including Earlham — were singled out as sending more than three-quarters of their undergraduate students abroad. "We are pleased that the percentage of Earlham students studying abroad ranks second in the country among baccalaureate institutions," says Patty Lamson, director of international programs. "Even more important than the numbers is the quality and depth of the international experience that our programs provide." "With an increasingly interdependent global community," says Kelley Lawson-Khalidi, associate director of international programs, continuing Lamson's comments, "it is of utmost importance for our students to develop a more informed worldview. We are always working to provide our students with meaningful opportunities to engage deeply in a wide variety of contexts around the world." According to the IIE report, more than half of all American students who participate in a study abroad program do so for programs less than eight weeks long, but, says Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president of IIE in an interview with InsideHigherEd, "The longer we can get our American students studying abroad, the more profound will be their understandings of other cultures and their language competencies, there's no doubt about it." Recognizing the validity of this statement, Earlham is continuing what President Douglas C. Bennett called a "full court press on internationalization" when the College received the prestigious Senator Paul Simon Campus Internationalization Award in 2006. Earlham is not encouraging students to take shorter trips and maintains an extensive roster of semester-long study abroad programs. Once students return home, says Lamson, "Earlham's internationalized curriculum provides ways for students to build upon new perspectives and skills gained while studying abroad." While Western Europe — and England in particular — remains the primary destination for American students seeking study abroad opportunities, Earlham students are recipients of what some may see as a more robust list. According to Lamson and Lawson-Khalidi, top venues for Earlham's study abroad students include Tanzania, Japan, Mexico, India as well as Eastern and Western Europe. In addition to its efforts to send students abroad, Earlham is committed to engaging the world at home. Nearly 15 percent of Earlham students are international students and almost 70 countries are represented on Earlham's Indiana campus. — EC — Contact:
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Earlham
College · 801 National Road West · Richmond,
Indiana 47374-4095 |