INDIANAPOLIS – Study abroad initiatives developed at the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis may be used as a model across the country.
Kelley Indy faculty and staff members are traveling to Washington, D.C. to present at the 2016 Institute of International Education (IIE)Summit on Generation Study Abroad.
Generation Study Abroad, a five-year initiative with a goal of doubling the number of U.S. students studying abroad.
IUPUI has taken the pledge to increase the number of undergraduates studying abroad. In fact, the campus reported its study abroad participation had already jumped 21 percent – attributing the increase to more spring break opportunities and a significant rise in the number of Kelley Indy and health sciences students participating in study abroad.
The 2016 IIE Summit in Washington, D.C. will bring together hundreds of educators and government and business leaders to discuss how to ensure a study abroad experience is part of students’ education.
Eric Raider, associate director of student engagement at Kelley Indianapolis, attended the conference last year and will be one of the staff members presenting this year.
“It takes a village to develop a program — including faculty, students, and staff,” explained Raider. “As we develop our study abroad programs, we challenge ourselves to be innovative. We want to doing something that has not been done before.”
“We’ve also made an effort to help students understand that study abroad is not just a class – it’s an experience. And that experience should be included on their résumés,” said Raider.
Raider points out the example of Kelley Indy’s “Business of Sport” study abroad program in Spain, developed by Kim Donahue, senior lecturer in marketing.
“Kim created a program geared toward a very specific industry – sports. Students who participated in the Business of Sport program were looking for a specific career path, and it helped some of them land jobs in the sports industry after school,” said Raider.
Donahue and Sherry Zike, assistant director of Kelley Indianapolis Career Services, will present “Putting Study Abroad to Work.”
“While studying abroad, students step outside of their comfort zones, learn about different cultures, build relationships, and learn academic content,” said Donahue. “When designing a program, I believe it is also important to consider how this experience will help students in their future career paths.”
Donahue explained she will present on how to construct a program around an industry that will assist students in developing transferrable skills and networking contacts.
“I hope to show how information about the study abroad experience might be viewed by employers as they consider candidates for internships and full-time positions,” said Zike. “We will talk about transferable skills needed in a variety of sports management positions, as well as explore the most effective ways to translate those skills on the résumé.”
In a separate session, Peggy Daniels Lee, faculty chair of the Kelley Indianapolis Undergraduate Program and clinical assistant professor of operations and supply chain management; Elizabeth Malatestinic, senior lecturer in human resource management; and Eric Raider will present “Exploring Study Abroad Resources: Creating Diverse Partnerships to Design the Optimal Study Abroad Experience.”
Malatestinic recently created her own study abroad program, focusing on globalization and management in Germany and Switzerland. Students visited a number of companies that helped them learn more about employment practices and expatriate assignments in those countries.
Lee is creating a new study abroad program that will take students to Swaziland in 2017. Raider works to coordinate all the Kelley Indianapolis study abroad experiences and, most recently, helped coordinate and plan a study abroad trip to India.
“Our goal is to share methods that attendees can use to create their own study abroad experiences without relying on pre-arranged programs that might not meet their goals,” said Malatestinic. “Peggy, Eric, and I have all used a variety of resources to create meaningful, curriculum-driven business content while abroad for our students, and our goal is to share ideas with attendees on how they can do the same.”
“I’m proud of what we have accomplished with our study abroad programs. Presenting at this conference demonstrates that what we are doing at Kelley Indianapolis can serve as a valuable resource across the country,” said Raider.