Kristin Kutella September 20, 2012 PIRE 2012 Conference

Inbound international students to the US Total students= 723,277

Total Students= 270,327

STEM= Science Technology Engineering Math Inbound int’l students AY10-11 Outbound study abroad students AY09-10 “About 16% of all study abroad students are in the STEM fields compared to about 26% of the general undergraduate population.” ~IIE Study Abroad White Paper 5- March 2009

IIE Study Abroad White Paper 5- March 2009

 STEM fields have more difficulty accommodating new elements in already demanding programs  For example- introduction of foreign language requirements  Faculty support  Faculty may not see value in sending students abroad (esp. for fields with tightly focused technical skill set)  Difficult to justify without pressure from employers or gov’t agencies  Accrediting agencies  Funding  Some believe that STEM field students would be more hesitant to pay for an experience abroad when they are accustomed to being paid for their work

 General push for global competency in state-funded institutions  By 2008, 22 states had passed legislation stressing importance of international education  Faculty support  Exchange programs are faculty-driven Collaboration, research, publication  Accrediting agencies  Some accrediting agencies have begun to incorporate “global competence” in assessment criteria  For example, ABET 2000 added: “the education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global & societal context”  Funding  Scholarships & Grants are available  Generally, students in STEM tend to fall in “underrepresented” categories

 Race/Ethnic Heritage  Caucasian students = 80.5%  Gender  Female students = 64.2%  Field of Study  Social Sciences, Business + Humanities= 55%  Location  Europe = 55%  Term  8 weeks or less programs= 55% Percentages are % of national population of study abroad students from AY08-09~Open Doors 2010

 Race/Ethnic Heritage- varied  Gender- high male population  Field of Study- STEM field  Location- Traditional location  Term- summer, semester or academic year  Language- German language exposure  Program- Specifically related to students’ field of study & research component

 Funding options are available  PIRE grant is very generous  Experience is worthwhile, even if complete funding cannot be matched

 Is it the case that science students need to find funding sources to participate in great numbers in study abroad or are there other ways?  How do we best engage science faculty to increase their involvement in study abroad programs (aside from giving them research funding)?