Last May, the U.S. Department of State and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development U.S. set a goal to double the number of study abroad students exchanged between the two countries by 2025. France is currently the fourth-leading destination in the world for U.S. students, attracting 17,000 students annually, while France sends 8,000 students to the U.S. each year.
Last month, leaders from French and U.S. higher education institutions, associations, and government agencies gathered in Washington, D.C., to share best practices and discuss the roadblocks and strategies to reaching this ambitious goal. Below are conference highlights, culled from the speakers and discussions at the meeting.
Conference participants
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Education, the French Embassy, the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute for International Education, NAFSA, Campus France, French and U.S. universities, and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.
Roadblocks to exchange
U.S.-to-France: language barrier, a sharp contrast in student services, and an unclear path to degree completion upon returning to the U.S.
France-to-U.S.: cost, because colleges is not as heavily subsidized in the U.S. as in France.
Strategies for increasing student mobility
- Offering a variety of program lengths and types, and targeting marketing efforts at major offerings and the opportunity for work, an internship, service learning, or gaining skills while studying abroad.
- Establishing substantive agreements among partner institutions.
- Strengthening personal relationships, notably between administrators and faculty.
- Structuring flexible agreements that establish the mutual benefits of the partnership, as a one-to-one student exchange may not be feasible.
- Expanding multi-lateral opportunities, particularly with other universities in Europe, could attract more U.S. students.
Recurring themes
-Expanding study abroad to under-represented and marginalized students, including those at the community college level.
-Expanding the role of community service in the study abroad experience.
Distinguished speakers
Gérard Araud, French ambassador to the United States, opened the conference and recalled the recent terror attacks in Paris as a reminder of the importance of education in circulating ideas and sharing knowledge to promote equality and liberty. He also noted the historic friendship between the United States and France, and called upon this increase in student mobility to expand this long-standing economic and moral partnership.
Evan Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, also spoke about France’s position as the U.S.’s oldest ally, emphasizing how “people-to-people exchange humanizes us” and fosters understanding, peace, and prosperity. She also announced that the opening of a new Office of Study Abroad at the Department of State to encourage and support the growth of study abroad among U.S. students.
Mike Reilly, Executive Director of AACRAO, recalled how AACRAO changed its transfer of credit recommendation in the Electronic Database for Global Education pursuant to an AACRAO delegation visit to Paris that included a visit to the Louis-le-Grand grande école in May 2014. He also spoke of the need of in-person contact to truly foster understanding despite the “illusion of understanding” that the modern age offers through web communication.
Rafael Nevarez, representing the U.S. Department of Education, gave an overview of the decentralized structure of U.S. higher education, which contrasts with France’s highly centralized structure, and highlighted the philosophical debate around higher education as a public good in the United States. Dale Gough, Director of AACRAO International Education Services (IES), elaborated on the value of accreditation in this decentralized system, as well as the wide range of foreign evaluation services offered in the U.S., a contrast to Europe’s centralized evaluation body, ENIC-NARIC.