What Will it Take to Double U.S. Study Abroad?

On March 12, 2014, IIE brought together leaders from the public, private and educational sectors for a one-day think tank at its New York headquarters. The objective was to initiate an ongoing discussion on what it will take to double the number of U.S. students who study abroad by the end of the decade. This ambitious goal is the central component to IIE’s newly launched five-year initiative, Generation Study Abroad. 

In several brainstorming sessions, participants of the think tank discussed obstacles to studying abroad and ideas to promote study abroad. In the afternoon, participants analyzed the feasibility of the top solutions presented by different groups and shared ideas on how to implement these solutions. "I thought the initiative was an excellent way to bring together different team players within the educational realm in order to develop feasible and sometimes radical ideas that can possibly spark student interest to get a global education and create opportunities for more students to study abroad," Wei-Ee Cheng, Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program alumna and Think Tank participant, reflected after the event.