In the Internationalization of Higher Education: Growing expectations, fundamental values paper, the top aggregate result for prioritizing internationalization activities was ‘outgoing mobility opportunities”.  North America is cited as one of the areas, along with Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean as having student mobility as the most important internationalization activity. But the results show us that in America less than 5% of students actually participate in short term mobility programs. If you factor in non-traditional students who represent about half of the student population in Higher Ed today, most who never participate at all in short term mobility programs, the number drops to less than 3%. Why is the number so low if the push is so strong?

I recently saw on the Baruch website that Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, and Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan were on campus to discuss the importance of study abroad programs at an event hosted by the U.S. Department of State for “Study Abroad: An Investment in Your Future”. The event was geared toward increasing study abroad and the diversity within study abroad programs to reach those students who want to study abroad but do not have the resources to do so. The Director of Study Abroad at Baruch College, Richard Mitten was quoted with saying “In the 21st century world of deeply intertwined global relationships, students need to be able to move easily both within and between cultures”. .

So the want and need is there, but it is still not happening. One of the major reasons indicated in the paper was lack of funding and yet increased funding was mentioned as a positive for most areas. In the 2012 edition of Mapping Internationalization on US Campuses, it is noted that institutional scholarships for studying abroad has increased, and although funding for faculty to go abroad has decreased, funding for faculty to take students abroad has increased. This is a case of win-win for the student and the faculty as well as increasing student mobility.

The need for funding is important and schools need to continuously come up with ideas for funding. In the Mapping Internationalization on US Campuses, it is stressed that strategic programs that focus on how student learning is achieved through study abroad is what will achieve the funding that is needed.