Preserving Our Sense of Purpose

As I reflect on 2021, so much of the past year was spent dealing with the continued fallout of the global COVID-19 pandemic response, which has impacted nearly all aspects of international education. It’s difficult to think back on the past year and identify themes to write about that weren’t somehow connected, even if twice removed.

While there are persistent challenges, the conversations I’ve had with colleagues across the field give me hope for our international education community. The key is how we collectively reconcile it all: maintaining the best of what has emerged, shedding what no longer has value, and preserving our sense of purpose.

Anticipating the Ripple Effects

From the perspective of U.S. outbound mobility, we have had to address how our work maintains relevance within the broader higher education landscape when many of us haven’t been able to send students abroad term after term—all while institutions themselves carry on. At the same time, U.S. higher education costs continue to rise and institutions face questions regarding the return on investment for the degrees and the college experience they provide.

Education abroad should anticipate the ripple effects of these developments. We need to ask ourselves, “What is the return on the investment for nondegree study abroad?” and be prepared to clearly articulate the answer in tangible ways to students, parents, and administration like never before. 

We’ve also been launched into a new era of in loco parentis as increased pressure and responsibility to mitigate risk have been placed on