Number of students studying abroad:
2008-09: 1,278
2007-08: 1,373
2006-07: 1,347
2005-06: 1,291
2004-05: 1,207
International students:
Fall 2007: 1,252 (4 percent)
Fall 2006: 1,244 (4.5 percent)
Fall 2005: 1,289 (4.7 percent)
Fall 2004: 1,263 (4.7 percent)
From musical performances to film screenings, students have experienced the world this week without having to leave Chapel Hill as part of UNC’s International Education Week.
The event is just a small part of a decade of efforts to create opportunities to internationalize the UNC community through research initiatives, international students and faculty members, as well as an increased push for study abroad programs.
Faculty and administrators have identified globalization as a key area for the University in several key policy-setting reports, and international studies is one of the fastest growing undergraduate majors.
And while this push has seen some success, including a $1 million donation last year to launch an international institute, the school still faces several barriers to becoming recognized by the University for its global focus.
The most recent jolt to the internationalization effort came in March with the Strategic Roadmap for Globalizing UNC-Chapel Hill, a report that laid out six main recommendations to make UNC an international university.
International initiatives
The first of these priorities was to establish a Global Research Institute, a central hub that consolidates UNC’s global initiatives and more heavily recruits international scholars and professors.
The University has also created the Global Education Fund which provides money to students and faculty members to let them take advantage of overseas opportunities. The fund, which recently totaled $100,000, is split between the College of Arts and Sciences and the provost’s office.
But the international focus extends beyond the institute and the departments devoted to the study of foreign countries, languages and cultures.
International community
The roadmap also called for an increase in international faculty members and students.
Daniel Lebold, the director of development for global education at the FedEx Global Education Center, said having a foundation of international faculty members makes UNC a more attractive option for students and professors it recruits in the future.
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Bruce Carney said UNC has already established a foundation of international faculty members and students.
“Probably 30 percent overall of our faculty on campus don’t come from the United States,” he said.
He said international student recruitment is hindered by the 18 percent cap on out-of-state admissions and visa requirements, and the numbers of such students hasn’t changed much in recent years.
But Steve Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions, said the future of international student enrollment is promising.
“I think we are trying to increase the enrollment of international students, and we’ve had good luck over the past couple of years, this year especially,” he said.
Study abroad emphasis
UNC’s emphasis on globalization has extended down to the students who are studying abroad at similar levels as past years despite the current economic climate.
While they don’t know the total number of students studying abroad this year, officials in UNC’s study abroad office said the number of students going abroad shouldn’t be much different from last year.
“We get asked a lot what impact the economy has had on study abroad, and at the moment, there’s a big question mark”, said Kathryn Goforth, associate director for advising with the Study Abroad Office.
Goforth said a slight drop-off in students studying abroad last year might be due to more students electing to go abroad during the summer.
Traditionally, popular destinations in Western Europe continue to attract the most students
Ginny Cartwright, a junior studying abroad in Glasgow, Scotland, said in an e-mail that her experience has broadened her horizons after living and studying in Chapel Hill.
“I wanted to go to a big city since Chapel Hill was really a college town,” she said. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better city.”
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
