KU students rank high in worldly studies

More than 1,000 KU students now study abroad each year, a 12 percent increase that has propelled KU to a No. 4 ranking among the nation's public research institutions in the proportion of its students studying abroad.

The increase, reported in the just-released 2004 Open Doors Report, a national survey of international education produced by the Institute of International Education, also shows that a quarter of all KU students will have completed international study by the time they graduate.

The Office of Study Abroad, which offers 100 programs in more than 50 countries, is one of many opportunities at KU for international education. In 2002, at the request of Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David Shulenburger, the Task Force on Internationalization recommended ways to give every undergraduate a significant international experience.

One initiative that came out of the task force's report includes the Global Awareness Program (GAP), which recognizes undergraduates' international activities on and off campus with certification on their transcripts.

“One of the hallmarks of a KU education is that it prepares a student to be a  global citizen,” said Diana Carlin, dean of the graduate school and international  programs. “Economic and political realities make it necessary for every  student to understand other cultures and the role the United States plays in  the world. Study abroad is an important element in providing those perspectives, and KU's excellent programs are what make our participation rates nearly 10 times those of the national average.”

Among public research institutions, only the universities of North Carolina, Delaware and Virginia have higher student participation rates than KU.