PSU aims for 'global' learning

University looks to take advantage of trends to grow worldwide presence

Anne Danahy

To Penn State student Kayla Ritenour, Australia's distance was part of its appeal and one of the reasons she studied abroad there last year.

CDT/Melissa Doss

Incoming Penn State student Michelle Yoon, left, an international politics major from Korea, enjoys Rita's Italian Ice with Thomas Levard, center, a current finance major from France, and Natsuki Ikeda, an international politics major from Japan and staff assistant for the University Office of Global Programs, during lunch hour of international student orientation on Monday, June 30, 2009. CDT/Melissa Doss

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“I really wanted to increase my knowledge of other cultures,” she said.

“It’s one of those places you may never get to go in your lifetime,” she said. “It’s something I wanted to prove to myself, that I could do independently.”

The number of students studying abroad is already on an upswing, both at Penn State and nationally, as is the number of foreign students coming to U.S. colleges and universities.

Building on those trends are goals in a plan to transform Penn State into a “global university,” said Michael Adewumi, vice provost for global programs. The university wants to increase the number of international undergraduates, draw students from a wider range of countries and increase the number of countries where Penn State students are studying.

“We will promote global citizenship for all our students and promote global leadership and scholarship and international engagement,” Adewumi said.

On the faculty side, the university wants to create targeted partnerships with institutions in other countries to encourage faculty to work together and open up study abroad opportunities for students.

Having a more international university benefits everyone, according to those involved.

“We live in a global society and global community,” said Negar Davis, director of global relations and programs. “Knowing about

different languages, practices and traditions is a must. The future work force demands people who are global citizens.”

According to the Institute of International Education, the number of U.S. students getting part of their education in other countries grew 8 percent in 2006-07. At Penn State, that number went up about 17 percent last year. One of the reasons is more short-term programs that are “embedded” in classes, often making it easier for students to fit studying abroad into their time in college.

John Keller, special assistant to Adewumi, said that what Penn State is seeing with study abroad programs is in keeping with the national trend — more short-term and faculty-led programs as well as more students participating in the traditional, semester-long study abroad programs.

The office is continuing to work with faculty on strategic planning to increase those short-term study and service abroad options.

“Faculty engagement is the missing piece at a lot of universities, and I think that’s what (Penn State) is trying to do now,” he said.

Geography professor Robert Crane will take about 25 students to a nature preserve in South Africa in the spring, where they’ll do research, take classes and work with South African students.

“I think, over the next 10 years or so, what we’re going to see is the universities that really emerge as world class universities are all going to be ones that have these global perspectives,” he said.

Crane led a task force on internationalization that was part of creating Penn State’s strategic plan. He said the international partnerships benefit both students and faculty by preparing students for an interconnected world and creating opportunities for international collaboration and research among faculty.

Students already want to study abroad, Crane said, but sometimes come across barriers.

“We have to remove those barriers, and part of that is getting the students involved earlier,” he said.

The university’s goal is also to draw students from a range of majors. Most students who do study abroad are liberal arts and business majors, and most go to Europe to study.

The number of international students coming to the U.S. to study grew 7 percent in 2007-08, reaching a record high. At Penn State, international enrollment climbed 11 percent in 2008-09. That follows a downward trend in previous years that was attributed in part to tighter regulations after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

A majority of international students at Penn State are graduate students and most of them come from Asia.

Davis said the university is changing its approach to recruiting international students by looking at nations from which fewer students are coming. For example, Penn State has the potential to draw larger numbers of students from Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East than it is seeing now.

She said that means working with the different departments at Penn State and the institutions outside the university.

Yawen Guan, a junior in finance from China, said she applied to Penn State when she was in an English language program in England.

“I really wanted to know (what) other countries are like,” she said.

She hopes to go to law school before returning to China, and being able to speak English fluently will also give her an advantage.

Guan said while some students may feel lost on such a large campus, she would tell them to not be afraid to get involved.

“Since you’re here, you’re already out of your comfort zone,” she said. “Don’t just hang out with people from the same country.”

Anne Danahy can be reached at 231-4648.