Study abroad programs across the United States may soon be expanding their horizons.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act on June 5, and if approved by the Senate, the bill would authorize $80 million to aid U.S. students venturing abroad and specifically promote study in nontraditional destinations such as Africa.
The legislation states that "in any given year, approximately one percent of all students enrolled in U.S. institutions of higher education study abroad" and that "less than 10 percent of students who graduate from [these institutions] have studied abroad."
At Penn, the numbers are greater, with about 6 percent of students spending time abroad each year.
But still, as noted at the June 14 Trustee's meeting on Student Life, Penn feels it needs to become more globally involved.
And the bill states that, according to the Institute of International Education, 60 percent of U.S. students studying abroad went to Europe, despite the fact that "95 percent of the world's population growth over the next 50 years will occur outside of Europe."
According to recent College alumnus Andrew Gottlieb, who works as a peer advisor at the Penn Study Abroad office, Penn students generally follow that trend, although Australia is also a favorite destination.
Rising Wharton senior Andrew Brennan, who studied abroad in Madrid wrote in an e-mail that "Europe remains a primary destination because of the amount of programs offered. . Also, people like to live in stable, well-known cities."
Rising College senior Michelle Alpert, who studied in Barcelona, echoed those sentiments,
"What attracted me to Europe was that a lot of my friends were going to be there. . I mean, I went to eight countries and 18 cities while I was abroad," she wrote in an e-mail.
Still, Brennan added, "I definitely would have gone to a remote university in Africa, for example, but there are no Wharton-approved universities there."
And going to Africa or other developing areas is precisely what this legislation is attempting to promote. Additionally, it states that the "demographics of study-abroad participation will reflect the demographics of the U.S. undergraduate population."
Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) spoke on behalf of the resolution when it came up for a vote, saying that it "will democratize the program of study abroad, which used to be the privilege of a very thin layer of our society. It opens up for every American college student, irrespective of his or her socioeconomic status, the opportunity of spending a year or more involved in serious language and area study all over the world."
