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CARLISLE, Pa., Oct. 23 (AScribe Newswire) -- Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. has been chosen by NAFSA: Association of International Educators (NAFSA) in a nationwide competition as one of the six institutions in the country that has best internationalized its campus.
Dickinson will be profiled in depth in a major report that NAFSA will release next spring. The others are: Yale University, the Community College of Philadelphia, Eastern Mennonite University, Indiana University, and San Diego State University. Ten additional schools were selected to have one of their international programs "highlighted."
This new honor is the "crown jewel" in a series of honors and awards for Dickinson's international program in recent years. In 2000, the American Council on Education (ACE) named Dickinson one of only eight schools to participate in a Carnegie Corporation-funded program called Promising Practices. These schools were chosen from a pool of 57 applicants because of the strategic and creative ways they have comprehensively integrated international learning opportunities into their undergraduate curriculum.
This fall in a survey compiled by U.S. News and World Report, Dickinson was ranked fifth in the nation for the quality of its study abroad program. A year ago the Wall Street Journal included Dickinson in a list of sixteen "hot schools" and called attention to the school's "international studies." The newspaper noted that 28 percent of Dickinson's students "spend a full year abroad."
Also last year, the Institute of International Education (IIE) named Dickinson one of 11 baccalaureate colleges throughout the country with a total study abroad participation rate of over 80 percent. In a report called Open Doors 2001, the IIE also reported that Dickinson sends more students overseas to study than any other four-year college in Pennsylvania.
NAFSA promotes the exchange of students and scholars to and from the United States. It sets the standards of good practice and provides professional education and training that strengthen institutional programs and services related to international education exchange. Like ACE, NAFSA is honoring Dickinson for its integration of international studies into every aspect of the curriculum.
International education is fundamental to Dickinson's mission. The college believes that a "global perspective" is a defining characteristic, and its strategic plan challenges students to "cross borders pertaining to culture and belief and to stretch themselves in preparation for life in a complex world."
According to Associate Dean Brian Whalen, director of global education, approximately 60 percent of Dickinson's courses are "international" in content and perspective. The school teaches 13 languages and offers interdisciplinary majors in East Asian, Italian, Latin American and Russian Area Studies, International Studies, and International Business &Management.
Dickinson ranks first in the percentage of foreign language degrees awarded among 146 peer schools, and second in total degrees among 876 institutions awarding bachelors in foreign languages. Because of their expertise in language and knowledge of foreign cultures, Dickinson students rank third nationally in producing Peace Corps volunteers and, in the last two years, has received nine Fulbrights, ranking the school in the top 10 in awardees.
The college ranks in the top three institutions nationally in the number of students who study abroad for the full academic year. And, says Whalen, "over half of our students study outside of Europe, and more than 50 science majors study abroad on four different Dickinson science programs. Also, although science majors are usually underrepresented in international education, the majority of ours study abroad."
Dickinson operates 35 programs in 20 countries on six continents. At the heart of this network are centers in Cameroon, China, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia and Spain. The school's Community Studies Center sponsors research in Patagonian oil towns, and scientists have done research in locations as diverse as Antarctica and the Bahamas.
Two international education publications are housed at Dickinson: Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, and Abroad View. In addition, the home of the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages is located on the Dickinson campus.
"Dickinson takes seriously the responsibility of serving as a model for others aspiring to implement a comprehensive approach to international education," according to Provost Neil Weissman. "We are proud of our longstanding active participation in NAFSA and welcome the opportunity to share our experience and practices through the 'Internationalizing the Campus' project."
The additional ten institutions chosen for the report are: Duke University, Kalamazoo College, Kapi'olani Community College/University of Hawaii, Middlebury College, Montclair State University, Randolph Macon Woman's College, St. Olaf College, Tufts University, University of Pittsburgh, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
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