Higher Education in Focus: Exploring Education Abroad

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ewers like you. Thank you. [ Music ] >> While U.S. participation in study abroad programs has increased in recent years, fewer than one in ten American students graduate having had an international experience. Those who do venture abroad often describe it as one of the best decisions they've ever made. In this edition of Higher Education in Focus, Penn State President Eric Barron will explore different types of education abroad opportunities. Why they matter. And what can be done to make them mo

re accessible. Here to talk with him about that is Michael Adewumi, Vice Provost for Global Programs. Karan Sandhu, an international mechanical engineering student who studied abroad in the UK. And Nicole Bernstein, a chemical engineering student whose studies have taken her to Belgium and China. I'll be back later in the show to talk one on one with President Barron about his own experiences abroad, about keeping students safe and more. Now, here's President Barron. >> There are a lot of studie

s out there that suggest that an engaged student is healthier, happier. Has better grades. Builds a better resume. Gets a better job. If you define engagement as doing worthwhile things outside of the classroom. And study abroad or having an international experience certainly falls in that category of engagement that is very valuable. And we have a double whammy here in some ways. Because we also want our students to have a world view. And to be able to approach all the problems of the world wit

h some level of knowledge about other cultures. What are the opportunities, Michael, at Penn State for international experiences for our students? >> The opportunity for international engagement for students is quite tremendous. From faculty-led embedded programs, where they can actually go for a week to two weeks, even sometimes three to four weeks as part of an in-house course being taught by the faculty. And so by so doing they can experience some of these international perspective that you j

ust spoken of. And, of course, to the ones and where they can actually go for a full semester or even a year abroad. And where they actually are immersed in a different culture for a longer period of time and then began to, so we have more than 200 different programs around the world, the students. >> 200? >> 200 that they can actually choose from. So the opportunity's just very wide and varied. >> Okay. So this is everything from a short trip, faculty-led. To a highly organized year classes in

a university. How many countries are involved? Is this everybody going to Italy and Rome and Paris, France or what? >> Actually, there are more than 60 countries. >> That are involved? >> Involved in all of this. Of course, the majorities, they go to Western Europe, about 60 percent. But more and more in the last five, six years we've seen a lot of students go into the nontraditional locations. Africa. Latin America. Even China. So, therefore, I think we have begun to see that. Which is exactly

what we would like to see, yeah. So it is wide and varied. And the experiences also vary widely. >> And do we kind of steer students in a particular direction that we have a relationship with the universities? So you work at that? Or really is a discussion that occurs with the student? >> It's more like give and take. I think that the student will come to see an advisor. And they will basically discuss what their goal is for that year. Sometimes they might be persuaded that their goal can be bet

ter achieved by going somewhere else. But it's still up to the student to actually decide where they want to go. >> Now, I suspect a lot of students would sit there and say, you know, I don't speak that language. And that adds a level of risk. On the other hand, there may be students that sit there and say, this is my chance to have a much deeper understand of German while I'm doing the following studies. So is the language a barrier? Or is this something where you're looking at somebody and say

, don't do that if you you're not ready to immerse yourself? >> Actually, the language, people look at it as a barrier sometimes. But what we found out actually is that it's becoming less of a barrier. Because a lot of countries, actually English has become more widely spoken than ever before. So, when they go there, they still find that they can communicate even with English. Of course, what our preference will be for them is to immerse themself in the language and the culture. But they can act

ually get by. Germany is an example. Most people in Germany [inaudible], they speak English. Sometime better than we do. You know, it's quite interesting. >> Definitely probably better than me sometimes. Well, okay, so the two of you have both had study abroad experiences. And, Nicole, China and Belgium. >> Yep, that's correct. >> And, Karan, you are from India. >> Yep. >> Come to the United States. Go off to the UK. >> That's right. >> Tell us a little bit about your experiences, either one of

you go first. >> Well, as you mentioned, we live in a global world. And we're going to have to collaborate with people from different cultures, from different backgrounds. And it's important to understand how different people from different parts of the world think. How they interact. So that's one reason why I chose to come to the United States for that opportunity. And I had an amazing first two years, and I wanted to learn more. I wanted a different experience, so I decided to study abroad. A

nd that was definitely one of the best experiences of my life. >> Yeah, I actually had some kind of nontraditional study abroad experiences compared to I think what a lot of students will go do. People tend to think of study abroad as, you know, go take classes somewhere. My first experience was in Leuven, Belgium. So I got to go actually do research there in a lab through a program called Euro Scholars. I only ended up taking one class. And the rest of it was working 40 hours in a week in a lab

where I was actually the only American student. So we had students from Belgium, obviously, where I was. But a lot from the Middle East. A lot from China. So it was a really interesting experience to collaborate like that. Especially in engineering, which is such a global field. And then my second experience was in China only for a couple weeks. Where I was sent through our Engineering Leadership Program here to go attend the Global Grand Challenges Summit. Which was held in Beijing. It was rea

lly a collaboration of China, the UK and the U.S. talking about these 14 grand engineering challenges. So everything from solar engine to water purification to carbon caption and sequestration. And how we can come together as these three nations and start to solve those problems. It was another really cool, really perspective broadening experience there as well. >> Were there many other U.S. students that were involved in that or? >> So there was one other student from Penn State. And then there

were also some other universities across the country who also committed to this Global Challenge Scholars program. It's a national initiative started by President Obama, where universities across the country are basically pledging to graduate a certain number of grand challenge scholars. And what that involves is basically being involved in a lot of global applications, research applications all related to these 14 challenges. So there were students from Bucknell. Some from places like Californ

ia and Texas. There were a decent number of U.S. students. >> So did you find people's perspectives were very different? >> Definitely. And I think a lot of that is a function of the different challenges that we're facing as nations. Especially considering the U.S. and the UK kind of on one side, and China on the other. So we're a very industrialized nation. And we're kind of at the point where we should be saying, you know, when it comes to energy efficiency and global warming, which was a real

ly big focus of the conference. That we should be making a difference here. We have, you know, we've been industrialized for a while. And we can start, we can afford to be cutting down our carbon emissions. Whereas, China, you know, they're still growing, and they're still growing a lot. And their main form of energy is still coal, and that's a major issue for them. And, you know, it's easy to say from our perspective, you know, you should stop that. Coal is bad. Coal is bad for the environment.

You can't do that. But from their perspective, they have a country to grow. They have people to feed. They have jobs to build so. >> And a lot of coal. >> Exactly. And so the two perspectives are very different. Yes. >> Michael's a petroleum and natural gas engineer. He could have stepped right in there on the non-study abroad part of this. So, Karan, you called your experience life-changing. You said, it was one of the best things I ever did. >> Right. >> So how did your life change? >> Well,

for one, the education was amazing. To be able to interact with people from different parts of the world. And I feel like what really put the whole experience into perspective for me was, at the end of my six months abroad, I traveled around Europe and visited all the friends that I had made from different parts of the world. And I felt like that was one of the highlights of my experience. That, not only had I left with an amazing education, but I had made personal connections with people that I

never thought I would meet in cities and countries I never thought I would visit. >> And it's not going to change. You're going to, you've got lifelong friends in that process. >> Yep, that's correct. >> And a whole different set of perspectives. So just out of curiosity, how did you step into this process of saying, I'm going to go to Belgium? I'm going to go to the UK? This had a lot of thought and planning? Or the opportunity was there? Or you visited the Office of Global Programs? What got

you to the, how did you pick? >> It definitely takes a lot of planning. And, especially, I don't know what your major is, but in engineering. >> Mechanical. >> Okay, yeah. So, you know, in engineering people tend to think of it as very cut and dry. You have to take this class this semester. This class the next semester. So it can be difficult to go abroad. But the Global Education Office, they're really great at helping you kind of find a program that's good for you. So, personally, I didn't wan

t to take any chemical engineering classes. So that's actually where I learned about the Euro Scholars program, where I could go do more research. This was back when I was thinking about going to grad school. So it would have been a great opportunity to have that experience and then go on for my future. >> Yeah, and I love traveling. I've been lucky to travel to over 30 countries over the past nine years. And, yeah, so I wanted to experience a new culture, a different environment. And Penn State

has exchange programs set up with universities across the world. And so I chose the UK. And, in fact, I took all my technical courses abroad. So in that sense it didn't affect my graduation. It didn't affect my credits. So that was definitely [inaudible]. >> That's a big plus. >> Yep, that is, yeah. >> So how did you prepare? Did you sit there and say, I've got do this and this before I go to Belgium? I have to do? >> You know, no. It was more kind of, you know, get in there and start running f

rom the beginning. So I did, you know, I did my research on where I was going. What the language was. I was actually very excited at first because there's two main languages in Belgium, French and Dutch. And I took French in high school. So I was like, oh, that will be great. I can communicate. I was in the Dutch region, so that was pretty difficult. But do you find that a lot of people speak English. And it's really easy, everyone was very friendly. Very willing to help you kind of learn where

you were going. A lot of the universities have orientation programs for students. So it's really easy to meet other international students, other students from your home country. And that helps a lot very early on. >> Did you have preparation or you just got on the plane and went? >> Well, I've been to the UK before. So I kind of had an idea what to expect. I spoke to a lot of Penn State students who had completed the same program last year. So that definitely helped. They kind of guided me thro

ugh the process. What to expect. What courses to take. What not to take. What are the benefits. What I should look out for so. >> And even what transfers easily? What doesn't stop you from having a gap. >> Absolutely. >> So you got a lot of advice from fellow students. >> Right. That's a big myth about studying abroad, where a lot of students believe that you might not graduate on time. Your grades might drop. You might not be able to take your major credits abroad. But Penn State has exchange p

rograms set up with a lot of top universities. >> And so it can be smooth. >> Absolutely. >> So, Michael, is this a traditional experience? Get up, go the Belgium and run? Or talk to your fellow students, make sure you've got this organized and go? Or is a typical student spending a lot of time in preparation? >> I think a typical student probably spends a whole lot of time in preparation. But the kind of experience that Nicole and Karan has is the kind that is not unusual with student. As a mat

ter of fact, that is one of the reasons why I am personally excited about the opportunity for students to study abroad. For instance, she talks about how her global perspectives have been shifted. Because she went to China, understand what is on the ground. Unlike just sitting here and criticizing the Chinese. Going there actually changes her perspective. And that is what you find with all of the students. Their perspective gets transformed. For some of them, come back changing their major. For

some reason they want to change the world first. So it's really amazing. >> That's not a bad thing. >> It's not a bad thing. >> Yes, I can imagine a few advisors who would go, what? You did what? >> Exactly. >> So, but you also describe 60 countries. And not all countries are going to be the same. >> That's correct. >> Some of them are going to have visas that you have to work through. >> Yes. >> Immunizations, you know. That might be a very different experience. Does the office participate in t

his and assist people? >> Oh, yes. Oh, yes. In fact, one of the things that we do, especially when they are going to nontraditional locations. Let's say African countries and Latin American countries. Some of the infrastructure will not be the same like they will find in China or in Europe. So, as a result, we tend to take a lot of preparation time to make sure that they're well taken care of. And also to make sure that, if they get in trouble, either because of health challenges or any other ch

allenges. That we can actually help them, assist them and get them out of the trouble as quickly as we can. So we focus a whole lot on risk management to make sure that we minimize the risk that they're exposed to. Even when they go to those places. Because one of the cause, one of the most common cause that I get in the office or we get in the office is from parents who are concerned. You know, my daughter, my son is going to this country and that country. You know, I'm really uncomfortable, so

what do I do now? So we have to really assure these parents that their kids will be well taken care of. So we really spend a whole lot of time doing that. >> Did your parents worry? >> No, not so much. Actually, I mean, mine was after a lot of things were happening in Europe. So a little bit more than they could have been but. >> But not for China? They were okay? >> A little bit for that too but. >> And you're a world traveler. >> I think they stopped worrying when I chose to come to the Unite

d States. >> They go, okay, he's an adult. He's taking care of himself for all these other countries; right? It's all a go. Did you feel like you were ambassadors? That you represented the United States? You represented Penn State? You represented India? You represented Penn State? >> Right, yeah. You'd be surprised to know how many people in the world know about Penn State. And how excited they are about visiting some day. I always make it a point to have my Penn State, either my Penn State swe

atshirt or my Penn State hat on when I'm traveling. And you always run into people from China, from New Zealand, from Australia. And they all know about Penn State. And they've heard great things. And so they're definitely excited to meet you. And, yeah, and after I came back, since I had such an amazing experience abroad, I wanted to get involved. So I chose to become a global ambassador for education abroad programs. So essentially my role is to share my experiences. To talk about my stories.

And hopefully inspire as many students as I can to. >> To go abroad. >> To have the same experience as I did, right. >> And to be such a great representative for the university at the same time. Similar? >> I think so. One of the things that, you know, we always talk about is our perspective changing when we go abroad. And I think it works both ways as well. I had a lot of my friends from, you know, other countries saying, oh, wow, we didn't think about Americans like this. You know, we didn't,

we had all these stereotypes about your country. And those change as well. So I think it's a really great thing too. Especially because our generation is becoming very internationally linked. And we're forming these friendships all over the world. And I think it's going to be better for our nation as a whole because of that. >> Now, how about the cultural elements of it? I remember one time I was giving a short course in Japan for a week. And, when I stop to think of it, I felt like I was ill pr

epared to be polite, to be respectful, to understand what's going on. Is the typical student sort of, did you work to be conscious of what might be customs and traditions and? >> Definitely. I mean, in Belgium it does tend to be a little more similar. But especially when I went to China, things are very different there. >> Very different, yeah. >> And I'm part of the engineering leadership minor, and a lot of what we focus on is, you know, how to deal with international, intercultural relations.

So, through some of the courses that I actually took from there, we discussed, you know, what's polite in China compared to what's polite in the U.S. So that helped. >> And, Michael, is this part of the office? >> That is part of the orientation. >> To give people an idea. >> Yes, yes. Actually they do that. And to make sure that the students, because sometimes, when students go to places, they could tend to bring the American perspective and trying to enforce it on people. >> Yeah. >> [Inaudib

le] tell them. No, you don't need to enforce anything. Just listen. Carefully evaluate. While you may disagree with the people, you at least understand where they're coming from. And we think that is just as important, even when you don't agree. >> So this is not inexpensive to study abroad. And so how do we help in that sense? Do we discover that, if you're a need-based student that, we heard that, if you're an engineering student, sometimes people look at that. And structured curriculum that m

akes it difficult, but you can get around it. If you're a need-based student, is the opportunity there? Are these students just missing the opportunity to have an experience, as Karan said, that was, changes your life? >> This is a great question. Because we know that from our perspective, from our experience is that one of the challenges for student to get the kind of study abroad is money, is finance. But also sometimes it is perception. And that perception, especially when somebody has need-b

ased, there are ways in which we can help somewhat. Not a whole lot, but we can help still. But some students, they already have made up their mind that they cannot afford to study abroad. So they don't even come to talk us at all. So I think one of the thing we need global ambassadors to do actually is to change the perspective, that you should talk to advisors and find out. There could be opportunities for assistance to actually be received. >> And I think we could talk about this for a long t

ime. Because it is, I have had many experiences that I thought were also so transformative. But just here with just a little bit of time left. If you were to pick a couple of words to describe what your experience was. Or to say something that was encouraging for somebody else, what would you say? >> I would definitely say it's a global perspective. And it gives you a better appreciation for what the world is like as a whole. >> It's life-changing. If you have the opportunity, definitely do it.

>> You'd do it over and over again. >> I'll do it again. >> And, Michael. >> Transformative. But not only for the student, but even for their families. We found that it transformed both. >> For faculty, for their family, for everybody else. >> Faculty. >> Thank you so much for joining me to discuss what I, is one of my favorite topics. And that's how to get students engaged in really worthwhile activities that help them be successful. And study abroad is a huge factor. Thank you. >> Thank you fo

r having us. >> Thank you, Dr. Barron, for the invitation. [ Music ] >> Next up on Higher Education in Focus, I'll talk one on one with President Barron about the impact international experiences have on student's academic performance and more. While more students than ever choose to study abroad in foreign countries, it's still less than about 10 percent of Americans who end up seizing that opportunity. As a university and president, are you concerned that almost three times more international

students choose to study here in the U.S. than students here study abroad? >> Yeah. So, of course. It's kind of an interesting balance thing. If we have a lot of international students on our campus, that's another way to get a world view; right? Because you're having discourse and interacting with people that come from very different lives. So that has incredible value. But nothing beats actually being in a country and watching and listening and learning and seeing the culture. And seeing it as

a real place. And so you really want as many students to study. So I welcome the international student, but I'd like to see a lot more students studying abroad. >> Going along with that, how does, students who study abroad and students who come here from a foreign experience, how is their performance level regarding other students who might not have those other foreign experiences? >> So what we discover is that engagement is what counts. That if you're engaged in worthwhile activities outside

of the classroom, especially things that enhance the classroom, that you do better. You have a peer group that does better because they're also doing those experiences. You're happier. You're enjoying it. Just look at the students talk about the experience being transformative. Best decision in my life. That's the type of thing. So here they are, they're enjoying their life better. They're building a great resume. They have good grade points, and they get great jobs. Think of a multinational com

pany looking at someone and saying, "Oh, you've been to 30 countries. Okay, you're somebody that's comfortable in the environment of modern-day business." Or think of all the other problems that you might work on. Huge value. >> I myself studied abroad in London last spring. >> Nice. >> And, of course, positive experience. Best decision of my life. >> Right. >> Just like everything else. And how, I know you studied abroad. You said you were in Japan for a week. Where else have you studied? >> So

really it came to me at the time where it was part of my professional experience, not my undergraduate experience. So I've been to about 30 countries. I've hit every continent more than once with the exception of Antarctica. I've got to fit that one in there somehow. And in each case it is been an incredibly valuable and enjoyable experience. You know, Penn State sends a large number of students abroad. But, if you think of the percentage, which you just cited, it's not nearly, it's not nearly

enough students. Especially if we know it's so transformative. >> Do you have a favorite country or city you've been to? >> You know what, I always resist having a favorite. Even though I ask other people the same questions. I had an extraordinary time in New Zealand. I had an extraordinary time in Nigeria. I did a review of a university in Saudi Arabia. >> Oh, wow. >> Very different experience. I really value what I learned. As a graduate student, I went behind the Iron Curtain to the Soviet Un

ion for ten days. >> Oh, wow. >> As a guest to the Soviet Academy of Geological Sciences. Eye-opening. Each, I wouldn't give up any of the experiences. >> It can be frightening for parents to let their children study abroad, sometimes for the first time. And I know your guest mentioned that we have connections to about 60 different countries. How is, helpful is the Department of State in terms of finding up-to-date information about particular destinations? >> I think that between the federal go

vernment and between our Office of Global Programs, which has very deep concern for the safety of students. There is, if something's going on, there's discussion ahead of time and decisions that are being made. Sometimes they're disruptive. If there's enough going on and we know parents are going to be uncomfortable and we think that our students are going to be at risk, we're not going to put them in that position. Sometimes the student isn't too happy that we make that decision. Safety's incre

dibly important. The information about what's going on in the world, incredibly important. >> We, growing concerns regarding global terrorism, especially within the past year. Are there any changes we're going to see in security regarding Penn State study abroad programs? >> So we pay a great deal of attention, as I said. Even for the faculty, we have a registry so that we always know where people are. So that, if there is a risk, we can step in. And we will, using companies, step in to assist a

student or faculty member if we need to. >> Thank you so much. >> My pleasure. >> On behalf of Penn State President Eric Barron, we'd like to thank our guests. Michael Adewumi, Vice Provost for Global Programs. And Penn State students Karan Sandhu and Nicole Bernstein, both of whom have studied abroad. For Higher Education in Focus, I'm Lauren Doyle. Thanks for joining us. >> Support for Higher Education in Focus comes from the Penn State Alumni Association, serving alumni and alma mater for mo

re than 145 years. On the web at alumni.psu.edu. Penn State Bookstore, now in an expanded location in the HUB-Robeson Center, improving the student experience at Penn State with philanthropic support of student causes throughout the university. PSECU, a credit union providing financial services to its members throughout Pennsylvania since 1934. More at psecu.com. And from viewers like you. Thank you. >> What's the benefit of studying abroad? >> One of the things that, you know, we always talk ab

out is our perspective changing when we go abroad. And I think it works both ways as well. I had a lot of my friends from, you know, other countries saying, oh, wow, we didn't think about Americans like this. You know, we didn't, we had all these stereotypes about your country and those changed as well. And I think it's going to be better for our nation as a whole because of that. >> Exploring education abroad on the next Higher Education in Focus.