Linfield College placed 25th in the nation this year for its student study abroad participation by the Institute of International Education.
Linfield was compared to other baccalaureate institutions similar to Linfield in the U.S., and placed higher than other schools with 68.1 percent of students participating in study abroad programs.
Nine years ago when Shaiik Ismail, director of the International Programs Office, first arrived at Linfield, the school was placing lower for its study abroad programs.
“We have expanded the opportunity for Linfield students to study abroad,” Ismail said. “When I came here we had 10 locations, [and] now we have 30.”
Having more locations allows students to have more choices to go abroad, Ismail said. While Linfield used to be focused more on language-based programs abroad, it is now expanding the opportunity to allow all students, especially those with science majors, to have the opportunity to go abroad.
“We found that students who did not have language proficiency were selecting programs offered by other institutions,” Ismail said. “[But] as a college, we don’t have any control over the quality of those programs.”
January Term courses abroad are a campus-wide approach to international education, Ismail said. Because it is not major or minor specific, courses are focused on certain themes, which allow faculty members to teach their passion.
“Statistics tend to indicate that companies and organizations look for employees with multicultural background,” Ismail said.
Samantha Sigler
News editor
Samantha Sigler can be reached at
[email protected].