UCLA’s Center for Global Education had its birth following two tragedies that occurred on the other side of the world. A bus crash enroute to the Taj Mahal killed four American students and the husband of an educator when the driver lost control of the bus at night.
 
In another incident, bandits in Guatemala pulled over a bus with study abroad students onboard. Some students were robbed, and another was sexually assaulted.
 
These were two of several highly publicized incidents in the mid-’90s that sparked rising concern about the well-being of American students studying abroad, resulting in a Congressional hearing. At that time, information and resources in this area of higher education were sparse. Even the State Department offered students and institutions little guidance.
 
study abroadOut of this came the Center for Global Education. In 1998, it was awarded the first of several U.S. Department of Education competitive grants to develop the Safety Abroad First — Educational Travel Information (SAFETI) Clearinghouse, which continues to serve as a key resource for U.S. colleges and universities operating study-abroad programs.
 
In the 15 years since, the center has grown into a multilayered, multi-service resource that engages in research and resource development and provides advice via a variety of websites to faculty and staff in higher education in the U.S. and around the world. The center’s guidance helps institutions design and administer high-quality study-abroad programs to maximize the experience and to address the risks that inevitably come with sending college students to live in foreign lands.
 
"We have resources to both help colleges and universities develop quality programming for students pre-departure, while abroad and with re-entry as well as to advise them on how to be prepared to respond to crises anytime anywhere," said center director Gary Rhodes. He has led the center since its inception, taking it from USC to Loyola Marymount and finally to UCLA, where it has resided in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies for almost three years.
 
Despite the recession and the rising cost of attending college, the stream of American students going abroad continues to grow steadily, albeit at a slower pace. Close to 274,000 U.S. students participated in such programs in 2010-11, the most recent year for which data are available. That’s up 1.3 percent from the previous year. Over the last 20 years, student participation in study-abroad programs has more than tripled, according to the Open Doors 2012 report by the Institute of International Education.
 
At UCLA, study abroad remains a strong component of undergraduate education. According to the latest Open Doors report, UCLA ranked No. 4 in the nation in 2010-11 for the number of students earning UCLA credits abroad. During that year, 2,451 UCLA students traveled to five different continents to participate in short-term summer programs run by UCLA faculty members, in UC’s Education Abroad Programs, and in other study abroad programs, with support from the UCLA International Education Office.
 
Nationwide, however, not all study abroad programs are as well-organized, well-staffed or well-managed, Rhodes said. Study abroad programs are administered in many different ways, some with far fewer resources than others. "In 1998, no study abroad program had a fulltime person responsible for health and safety. Now, there are still only about 30 universities with someone whose primary responsibility is health and safety support." The University of California Education Abroad Program was one of the first to have a dedicated health and safety staff member.
 
Rhodes.3
Gary Rhodes
To provide essential resources to faculty and staff who run these programs, the center has branched out beyond health and safety to help U.S. students get the most out of this experience from start to finish.
 
"Many U.S. college and university students do not have a good understanding of the world outside the U.S., whether it be international cultures, languages, politics or practical realities." said Rhodes.
 
When students first begin searching for a study-abroad program, the center’s Student Study Abroad Handbooks provide resources to help students and parents not only find a program, but also ask important questions.
 
To help U.S. colleges and universities provide comprehensive support and an integrated educational experience for their students, the center developed the GlobalScholar.us Online Courses for Study Abroad. The three online courses that students can take before, during and after their time abroad address culture shock, language learning, country-specific concerns, and health and safety issues.
  
However, the increasing number of international students on college campuses is outpacing the number of U.S. students studying abroad. According to the Open Doors report, UCLA ranked No. 6 in the nation in 2011-12, hosting 6,703 international students. To address their challenges and help make the most of their experiences, the center has developed the uStudy.us Online Courses for International Students, to be taken before their departure, while in the U.S. and after returning home.
 
Both the GlobalScholar.us and uStudy.us online courses are available free to any staff and faculty so that they can provide them to students and monitor their progress as assignments are completed. 　
 
Sometimes, Rhodes said, the hardest part about going abroad is returning home and "unpacking" their experience. "They have hundreds of hours of video and thousands of pictures that nobody wants to see," he said. "They may have learned to speak a foreign language. And if they use it, people may think they’re snobs." Students find advice about easing this transition, continuing international learning at home, reaching out to others, as well as tips on how to use education abroad as a plus when applying for jobs.
 
Rhodes said the center is also trying to increase the number of students from ethnically diverse backgrounds who study abroad. Another of its websites offers these students online mentorship advice and a broad range of resources.
 
Because the greatest diversity in U.S. higher education exists at community colleges, where very few students study abroad, Rhodes said, the center is currently researching the impact of international study as it relates to these students’ international learning, retention and success in school and career. It has collected data from institutions showing significant gains in retention and success for students who study abroad as well as other research in the field.
 
Collaborating with U.S. government agencies has also been an important focus of the center. For many years, Rhodes has helped organize and lead health and safety workshops in coordination with a U.S. Department of State agency, the Overseas Security Advisory Council. He has also written content for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on student travel health. And each semester, the center co-sponsors a town hall for study-abroad directors across California to talk about various issues.
 
Next quarter, Rhodes will be co-teaching a course at UCLA on the administration of international programs in higher education. He has also been collaborating with UCLA faculty and staff to support international learning in the GSE&IS Masters in Student Affairs program.
 
"With the growth of study abroad, international students and other international activities at a university like UCLA, it’s important that faculty and staff campuswide collaborate to provide effective student support to promote comprehensive internationalization." And those strategies should be extended to graduate students studying higher education, Rhodes said.
 
"Without support, study abroad can reinforce negative stereotypes and interactions, and result in health and safety tragedies," he said. "For the vast majority of students, with the right amount of support, study abroad is a life-altering experience that gives students a broader worldview and helps them gain success in their future careers.
 
The experience links people around the world, he said, "leading to global understanding, long-term relationships and connections that make a difference in providing a future where countries and their peoples can work together to support more positive collaboration and a more peaceful world."