The numbers show how under-represented students of color are when it comes to international experiences, but how can its increase also be connected to improving marketplace success?
Since 2000 according to the Institute of International Education, study abroad participation among U.S. college students has nearly tripled in the 2011-12 academic year, the latest available figures until November, to a new high: 283,332. The four largest groups: Whites (76.4); Asians (7.7); Hispanics (7.6); and Blacks (5.3). During the same period: 58.0, 5.8 and 14.4 percent of enrolled U.S. college students were represented by those same groups, respectively. Latinos and African Americans were virtually tied.
More than 310,000 students were enrolled at 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), yet only 48 were known to have gone abroad based on data from the leading source of funding for Pell Grant students, The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. Where African-American graduates are over-represented is in working minimum wage jobs when employed. As recruiters look for more candidates with global experiences, they cannot compete.
HBCU students need a tactical “education abroad” approach, one that synthesizes global literacy, academic achievement and career development. Distinctly different from study abroad, this model is based on an eight week or less course of 4 to 6 credits, linked to the students’ concentration or career trajectory and hosted at a university. However, implementing this requires HBCU presidents and chancellors including senior administrators with input from faculty and career counselors to:
