The University of Colorado at Boulder ranks 10th among all U.S. institutions that send students abroad, according to statistics released Monday by the Institute of International Education.
"Open Doors," the IIE annual report on the flow of students to-and-from the United States, shows that CU-Boulder sent 1,019 degree-seeking students abroad in 1998-99. The institution ranks ninth among the top 20 research institutions in the United States, and 10th among all U.S. institutions reporting. Brigham Young University, Michigan State University and the University of Texas, Austin, are the top three.
"I am thrilled to learn that we are in the top 10," said Michael Delaney, interim director of the Office of International Education. "Increasing participation in study abroad programs -- and increasing the diversity of students who participate and where they go -- have been goals of this office. One of the measures of success is national rankings. To be in the top 10 is really exciting."
Statistics were released today to kick off celebrations of International Education Week, Nov. 13-18, by the Department of State and the Department of Education. In April, President Clinton announced the celebration as a way of calling attention to the need for federal policy on international education. He directed the federal government to strengthen its commitment and promotion of international education exchange.
Secretary Richard Riley of the Department of Education wrote last week: "I strongly believe that the growth of democracy, economic prosperity and social stability throughout the world is linked to the advance of education. The power of people-to-people connections plays an ever-increasing role in todayÂ’s global economy. Countries benefit when their citizens develop a broad understanding of the world, proficiency in other languages and knowledge of other cultures.
"Strengthening international cooperation depends on building ties with those who will guide the political, cultural and economic development of their countries in the future. . . . That is why international education and mutual understanding around the globe is so important."
Study abroad participation from Boulder has increased rapidly over the last seven years as a result of deliberate decisions by faculty, colleges and the Office of International Education to increase the number of programs offered and the number of students who participate, according to Delaney. The campus currently offers more than 140 different programs in 58 countries around the world.