Geology Professor Jeff Over leads students in the field on a recent trip to New Zealand. /Photo by Keith Walters '11
SUNY Geneseo recently earned a national accolade for the participation of students who choose to study abroad.
Geneseo is ranked 26th by the Institute of International Education among all master-granting institutions and first among public master-granting institutions for the highest study abroad participation, through the institute’s Open Doors report. The Open Doors report is funded by a federal U.S. State Department grant and serves colleges and universities as an informational resource for campus internationalization.
To determine participation rates, IIE measures the number of degrees a college grants in a given year compared to the number of students who studied abroad. Geneseo boasted 440 individual students abroad and 1,004 degrees granted in 2014-2015, or 44 percent of students.
Geneseo has increased its position on the IIE’s list over the past few years. The most recent participation rates IIE lists are 39.2 in 2013 and 34.6 in 2012.
“This recognition is a direct result of Geneseo’s commitment to international education,” said Sam Cardamone, associate director of study abroad. “We have faculty, staff and students who are all interested in international study and have a real desire to incorporate different perspectives in their learning.”
As a liberal arts institution, says Cardamone, “there is an added level of emphasis on study abroad and on understanding international perspectives. It’s being seen as an integral part of a student’s undergraduate education. It distinguishes us from other institutions.”
IIE has published the Open Doors report each year since 1948. The 2017 report will be released on Nov. 13.
— by Malachy Dempsey '19