International Programs

If it were up to Adrian Sherman (photo, left), director of international programs, study abroad would be mandatory for Ithaca College students. "The world is getting more international," Sherman asserts. "We need our education to reflect that." Sherman says that he has watched the same scenario time and again: Students go through three years of college with perceptibly little change in their values or belief systems. Then they spend a semester abroad and they come back completely different. "When you remove people from their own culture and put them in a foreign environment, they have to reflect more about their relationship to things than they normally do. The experience can be nothing less than life-changing."

IC students who study abroad also have the opportunity to intern at international companies. Such experiences, Sherman points out, can substantially increase students’ marketability once they graduate, particularly for organizations that are global in perspective. The Office of International Programs runs numerous internships out of London, several in Spain, and some in France for business majors. IC alumni like London-based Ilana Abrahams ’97 are also providing international internship opportunities for current students. Although Abrahams did not study abroad while at Ithaca College, she acknowledges the value of such an experience. Abrahams is now business director of the London office of MindShare, a media investment management company. She and her company decided to offer internship positions because, she says, "they are win-win situations. While our company benefits from intelligent --- and yes, free --- help, the students gain a better understanding of where they potentially will want to place their focus in developing a future career."

In 2000-2001 there were about 370 students studying abroad, either at the IC London Center or through exchange programs or affiliated programs. This represents an increase of nearly 100 students from two years before, but Sherman still thinks that number should be much higher. He is also adamant about having a strong international presence on campus. When he first started working at the College three years ago, there were 28 freshman international students. This year there are 94 incoming international students, for a total of 203 full-time and 17 exchange students. The program has stepped up recruitment, and, Sherman says, the word is spreading that the city of Ithaca is an excellent place for international students.

Recently, international programs received a Title 6 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop a cross-cultural curriculum for health sciences majors. Since Spanish is the language most likely to be useful for them, the new program will promote the inclusion of cultural material related to Spanish-speaking populations. This semester the College debuted a course offering on the Spanish language as it relates to the health sciences --- focusing on such things as learning the vocabulary of anatomy. In May HS&HP students will again have the opportunity to receive intensive language and culture training in the Dominican Republic, in a program that has been growing for the last few years.

It is still too soon to tell how deeply the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11 will impact international programs. Both here and abroad the program’s staff is reviewing all safety procedures and developing crisis management plans. Thus far, the only program cancellations have been a tour to Southeast Asia and a tour to South America that were scheduled to leave soon after the attacks. To date, no Ithaca College students who are studying abroad have returned to America prematurely, and none of the College’s current international students have returned to their homelands. Still, recently proposed legislation to curtail the issuing of international student visas may, if passed, sharply diminish the number of international students on campus in the future.

Overall, however, Sherman is optimistic that any bad impact on international programs will be short-term only. He says the department’s recruitment efforts will continue as planned. "We are not going to go back to isolationism," he says firmly.

Photo by Bill Truslow