Academy for Educational Development

Washington, D.C., April 25, 2006 — May 2, 2006 Colloquium at the Academy for Educational Development

THE ISSUE: Nearly 84 percent of all U.S. undergraduate study abroad participants were white in the 2003-2004 school year. Only 5 percent of participating students were Hispanic and less than 3.5 percent were African-American. Of all study abroad participants, more than 65 percent were female.

These study abroad participation rates are out of line with the profile of the U.S. undergraduate population. In 2001, just over 67 percent of all enrolled students at degree-granting institutions were white; 11.5 percent were African-American; and nearly 10 percent were Hispanic.

AED’s day-long colloquium is the first to address how to change the profile of study abroad participants - a profile which has remained largely unchanged in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and economic means over the past several decades, even as participation in study abroad programs continues to grow.

WHO: Dr. Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran, Ph. D., President, Kalamazoo College Keynote Address: “Diversity in Education Abroad: Why it Matters to the Nation.”

Other speakers include: David Comp, University of Chicago; Margery Ganz, Spelman College; Laurie Black, School for International Training; and Sandra MacDonald, AED

WHAT: Speakers will discuss:

• What we know about diversity in education abroad
• What's working in achieving diversity in education abroad
• Framework for changing the picture of Americans studying abroad
  

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