Name
Creating Sustainable Study Abroad Models
Date
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Time
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM (PDT)
Description

Clark University, a small private national research university in the New England, has a long a proud history of its global engagement. During the pandemic, when the study abroad opportunities were entirely shut down for 18 months, the university used the time to benchmark its study abroad activities with other peer institutions. What it discovered was that over time, fewer and fewer undergraduate students were graduating with a high impact study abroad opportunities.  It also discovered that the business model for the unit was a very high cost, low impact model that leverage non-academic third-party providers for its study abroad venues for the students. This session will examine this case as a new strategy was put in place to dramatically increase study abroad opportunities for students while dramatically decreasing the cost structure of the program. Topics discussed will be the development of bi-lateral articulations agreements for student exchange, leveraging existing resources in new ways to enhance the student experience, the development of a sustainable business model for the study abroad unit and the use of technology to leverage the efforts of a small staff.

Learning Outcomes
  • Understand the key components of a sustainable business model for study abroad programs.
  • Explore strategies for increasing study abroad opportunities while reducing program costs.
  • Learn how to leverage technology and existing resources to enhance the student experience in study abroad programs.
Session Streams
3. Global Education and Study Abroad