Act could give more students chance at studying overseas
The United States is failing to take full advantage of a valuable tool that should be used to enhance our standing in the world and improve our national security — college-level study abroad programs that open doors to all.
Only a small percentage of U.S. college students today study abroad.
Those privileged few largely limit their travels to a narrow range of countries, mostly in Europe.
As a result, our foreign affairs agencies are hard-pressed to find recruits who have a firsthand understanding of critical cultures and languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Pashto and Dari.
But we are about to change that. The Sen. Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, which we hope to bring to the floor of both the House and the Senate for passage later this year, will vastly expand the talent pool of young Americans with global skills.
Inspired by the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and the congressionally chartered Lincoln Commission, the Sen. Paul Simon Act will create a new government corporation charged with democratizing study abroad for American students the way the GI Bill democratized higher education.
It will create opportunities for students from diverse academic, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, and will significantly expand participation in study abroad programs in nontraditional destinations, particularly in the developing world.
Through administration by a small, innovative, mission-driven government corporation, the program will pursue an unprecedented, cost-effective program model by leveraging private-sector resources and support.
The benchmark we've set in the legislation for this effort is extremely ambitious. It mandates the achievement of a nearly fivefold increase in the number of college students studying abroad within 10 years. If the goal is met, 1 million American students will study abroad each year.
At that level, study abroad will become a commonplace rather than an exceptional part of college education for American students.
The government corporation will also be charged with transforming the demographic composition of study abroad programs to more accurately reflect the demographics of the nation.
It will reach out to students enrolled in community colleges and minority-serving institutions.
It will also be responsible for ensuring that a vast new institutional capacity is built up by U.S. institutions of higher education to sponsor study programs in areas we need to understand better, such as the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Today, despite excellent preparation in a vast array of academic fields, most American graduates enter the workforce without substantive experience in living and learning outside their own culture.
Few have had an opportunity to gain a sophisticated understanding of another country or to confront their own assumptions about non-Americans.
Few can speak the strategic languages that our foreign affairs agencies need so urgently — or speak any foreign language at all.
This state of affairs must change. Our nation's security, leadership and competitiveness hinge significantly on the international competence of our citizens.
We must act now to enact the vision of the late Sen. Paul Simon from Illinois who worked tirelessly to promote a public-private partnership to democratize and normalize study abroad.
We must act quickly to pass and fund this act. It is a crucial, long-term investment in America's leadership and security in the 21st century.
Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., are the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Published on Thursday, May 17, 2007