Fred DeMicco These are opportunities for learning that faculty and students can't get from a textbook. While I believe college students should take advantage of courses that expose them to the global marketplace, faculty members can benefit by taking part in study abroad experiences, too. For students, the opportunity to appreciate diversity and new cultures firsthand is paramount. However, faculty can expand their international horizons by taking their disciplines globally, and testing their theories and models in new contexts and settings. For me, sharing new learning experiences with students is the essence of why I went into academia.
Opportunities abound for students and faculty to gain international experience.
The IIE notes there are 2,700 programs available today in more than 70 countries. The number of U.S. students receiving credit for studying abroad increased 11 percent to a record 99,448 in 1996-97, the latest period for which statistics are available. Students going to Africa increased by 27 percent, Southeast Asia by 28 percent, Latin America by 11 percent. It is imperative that U.S. students study overseas as a way to prepare themselves to work and compete in the world market. I also took part in a course where we spent a semester discussing the islands of the Caribbean, and the economic importance of the cruise industry.