The effort to expand study abroad opportunities for American college students took a big step forward today when the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act was included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-Calif.).
The Simon Act aims to dramatically increase the number of American undergraduates who study abroad in quality programs across the globe, focusing particular attention on ensuring access to study abroad across the college demographic and encouraging study abroad in the developing world. Currently, only about one percent of U.S. undergraduates study abroad, despite surveys that indicate that more than three-quarters of Americans believe it is important to do so and a rising chorus of business, education, and government leaders concerned about Americans’ lack of preparedness in engaging and communicating with the world.
The Simon bill has garnered 32 co-sponsors in the U.S. Senate, where it was introduced in February by Senators Dick Durbin (D – Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R- Miss.). The version of the Simon bill included in the House Foreign Relations Authorization Act is identical to the Senate bill.
Last year, the bill passed the House with unanimous support and enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the Senate, including that of then-senators President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, where it was one step short of passage when the legislative clock expired last fall. The Simon Act has been endorsed by more than forty higher education and international exchange organizations.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
- Join the Facebook group in support of study abroad and invite 10 of your Facebook friends to be a part of the movement.
- Be on the lookout for NAFSA’s Action Alert asking you to voice your support for the legislation. If you haven’t done so already, you can sign up to be a member of NAFSA’s Advocacy-Centered Team and make a difference for international education.
This is EXCELLENT news for the field and future undergraduate students. I disagree with your statement that only about one percent of U.S. undergraduates study abroad. I disagree and based on my calculations (using Open Doors data and their participation rate methodology), 7.4% of U.S. undergraduates studied abroad in 2004-2005. You can read more of my argument and calculations here: http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2007/03/open-doors-data-on-study-abroad.html
David Comp’s point is correct, but he is not really disagreeing with us. We say, and his data confirm, that only approximately one percent of undergraduate students study abroad in any given year, when undergraduates are defined in terms of total enrollment. That’s the figure we tend to use, because it’s the only reliable figure we have. We also say that no reliable data exist on the percentage of any given year’s graduating class that has studied abroad for credit, but estimates are in the plus-or-minus 10 percent range. David’s 7 percent estimate falls within that range. Study abroad as a percentage of graduates, as opposed to total enrollment, is a much more meaningful measure. It would be a big advance if we could begin to produce reliable data on study abroad participation for each year’s graduating class.
Victor C. Johnson is Senior Advisor for Public Policy at NAFSA
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