USD leads nation in study abroad

After two years of coming in second to Pepperdine University, USD is now ranked first in the nation in the percentage of undergraduate students who participate in study abroad programs.

On Nov. 28 the office of the executive vice president and provost proudly sent out information regarding the accomplishments of the university's abroad program. USD has always prided itself on a successful abroad program in an aim to develop global citizens and the new rankings from the Institute for International Education based on the annual Open Doors Report is a testament to this effort.

The annual report ranks universities based on an estimated percentage of undergraduate participation in study abroad programs while taking into consideration factors like the total undergraduate degrees conferred during the academic year. At the number one spot, USD reached 71.4 percent during the 2009-2010 academic school year. According to the report, Pepperdine University in Malibu now comes second to USD, followed by the University of Denver, Yeshiva University in New York, N.Y. and University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.

"I am very proud of the transformative learning opportunities our faculty provide through study abroad, community service learning and other pathways to enhance our students' capacity to live, work, and serve anywhere on the planet," Executive Vice President and Provost Julie Sullivan said.

USD now offers a variety of programs for all majors in over 35 countries.

"Since the International Center's opening in 2006, USD has made great strides in increasing the number of students who study abroad through intersession, summer and semester-long programs," Assistant Director of International Studies Abroad Jessica Luchesi said. "The exponential growth that has taken place over the past five years is a testament to USD's dedication to internationalization."

This extensive range of programs is one of the reasons studying abroad is an option for so many USD students. One such program is the Second Year Experience, which allows students to earn core curriculum credit in a variety of disciplines during their sophomore year in locations such as China, Italy and Spain.

"It definitely required a lot of time management condensing a whole semester's worth of material into three weeks, especially while wanting as much free time as possible to explore the country," Oxford SYE participant and environmental studies major Alyssa Beerling said. "But it was definitely a great experience, especially having a major that does not typically allow for the opportunity to spend an entire semester abroad, especially in Europe."

Sullivan believes that the recent progress is a result of the effort between both student interest in international learning opportunities as well as faculty interest in teaching.

"Our success in study abroad participation is due to establishing internationalization as a strategic goal for the campus, creating the International Center, consolidating our resources supporting undergraduate study abroad, our faculty's interest in developing and leading international courses and the recognition by our students of the importance of immersing themselves in other countries and cultures," Sullivan said.