More students head overseas
to learn
 From the mountains of Peru to
the historic buildings of Europe, more and more U of C students are packing
their bags to study abroad.
The university has set an ambitious goal to increase the
number of students learning overseas to 30 percent of all
graduating students by 2010.
“International learning is a
very important component of a contemporary, well-rounded
education,” says Cen Huang, executive director of the
International Centre, who is undertaking an education-abroad
pilot project to achieve this ambitious goal. “It changes your
personality because it’s a profound experience that makes
you more independent and shows your creativity and ability
to adapt.”
The university sent about 550 students overseas last year.
By 2007, the target is to raise that number to 1,000. The
plan is to continue to raise the number of students on study
abroad programs to 2,000, or about 30 percent of graduating
students, by 2010.
The U of C is taking a leadership role in this area by
committing more than $200,000 to education-abroad initiatives.
According to the Association of Universities and Colleges of
Canada, fewer than 1 percent of Canadian undergraduate
students participate in study abroad programs.
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