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September 11, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SMITH TO SERVE AS HOME FOR
NEW ORGANIZATION
ADVOCATING BEST PRACTICES IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
NORTHAMPTON, Mass.-Continuing its longstanding
commitment to study abroad, Smith College will serve as home
base for a new organization promoting excellence in international
education.
The Forum on Education Abroad,
of which Smith is a charter member, is an international association
created to serve the field of education abroad. There are 125
members to date, consisting of educational institutions, consortia,
agencies, organizations, and individuals that provide, direct,
or manage educational opportunities in the field of education
abroad.
Through the work of its members and outreach efforts, the Forum
will address such issues as curricular development and design,
the establishment of standards of best practice in study abroad
programs, resources for advocacy at the campus and national levels
and data collection and outcomes assessment of the value of international
education.
Dr. Geoffrey Bannister, former president of Butler University
will move to Northampton to serve as the organization's executive
director during its first year. The Forum offices will be open
in early October in the Gables.
Forum President Kathleen Sideli, associate director of overseas
study at Indiana University, noted that Smith's generosity in
hosting the Forum "indicates the college's continuing and
firm commitment to quality education abroad."
"Smith College has a long and prestigious history in education
abroad, being one of the first institutions in the early decades
of this century to provide academically focused programs for
its degree candidates," Sideli explained.
Adrian Beaulieu, Smith's associate dean for international study,
noted that the arrival of the Forum at the college is the fulfillment
of work by a number of people and represents another step forward
in Smith's commitment to becoming "truly a world college."
For nearly 80 years, Smith has sponsored international study
programs that combine rigorous academics with the excitement
of discovering another culture. Originally intended as language
programs, today they are open to students with a range of academic
interests. Nearly half of Smith students study abroad before
graduation-some for one semester but most for a full academic
year. In addition to Smith students, female and male students
from any accredited four-year college or university may apply
for the year-long programs Smith sponsors in France, Germany,
Italy and Switzerland.
Smith College is consistently ranked among the nation's foremost
liberal arts colleges. Enrolling 2,800 students from every state
and 55 other countries, Smith is the largest undergraduate women's
college in the country.
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