Eleven presidents from some of the country’s best minority-serving institutions (MSI) gathered on November 4 at CIEE’s new Global Institute – Berlin for the inaugural Study Abroad Leadership Workshop for Minority Serving Institutions.
Dr. Vinton Thompson, President of Metropolitan College of New York
“MCNY has been a pioneer in adapting short-term international study to the circumstances of working, adult students. Our MBA students experience the global market place directly in excises in London and Continental Europe. Students in Emergency and Disaster Management have done on-the-ground consultations in places as far flung as Turkey, Chile, Israel and Spain. We are committed to working with other Minority Serving Institutions to broaden international study opportunities for our students and diversify the student contingent America sends abroad.”
Developed in collaboration with the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, the full-day leadership workshop was designed to prompt conversation around the importance of exposing students from MSIs to international education opportunities.
According to a 2014 report by the Institute of International Education, less than 10% of undergraduates study abroad before graduating. Of that already small portion, only 7.6% are Hispanic, 7.3% are Asian, and 5.3% are African-American. CIEE is committed to increasing access to study abroad by traditionally underrepresented student groups, and the Leadership Workshop represents an important step in this effort.
Attendees of the workshop included:
- Joseph I. Castro, California State University, Fresno
- Wayne Frederick, Howard University
- Mildred Garcia, California State University, Fullerton
- Willie Larkin, Grambling State University
- Elmira Mangum, Florida A&M University
- Michael J. Sorrell, Paul Quinn College
- Vinton Thompson, Metropolitan College of New York
- Henry N. Tisdale, Claflin University
- David Wilson, Morgan State University
- George Wright, Prairie View A&M University
The workshop featured a panel discussion around Putting Study Abroad into Action moderated by Marybeth Gasman, director of the Penn Center for MSIs, that offered the presidents concrete ideas on overcoming the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture to expand access to study abroad to students at their institutions.
Panelists included Andrew Gordon, founder and president of Diversity Abroad; Beth Donaldson, vice president of Global Enrollment Management at CIEE; Aaron Bruce, chief diversity officer at San Diego State University; Joti Sekhon, Winston-Salem State University; and Dr. Keshia Abraham, interim dean of Arts & Sciences at Florida Memorial University.
“The importance of study abroad for every student today is well established, yet we know that many institutions are finding it difficult to create a robust set of international programs for students and faculty. We heard from all of our member schools that the importance of having support from top university leaders cannot be overstated,” explained James P. Pellow, president and chief executive officer of CIEE. “With the Penn Center for MSIs being the leader in championing high-quality programs for Minority Serving Institutions, this partnership to sponsor the first Study Abroad Leadership Workshop for Minority Serving Institutions is an important contribution to the field and to shaping the lives of many students from MSIs.”
Presidents of Minority Serving Colleges, Berlin, Germany, November 4, 2015, at President’s Workshop sponsored by the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions and CIEE
Back row – Left to right: Joseph Castro, California State University, Fresno; Michael Sorrell, Paul Quinn College (Dallas, TX); George Wright, Prairie View A&M University; Wayne Frederick, Howard University; David Wilson, Morgan State University; Henry Tisdale, Claflin University
Front row – Left to right: Vinton Thompson, Metropolitan University of New York; Mildred Garcia, California State University, Fullerton; Elmira Mangum, Florida A&M University; Willie Larkin, Grambling State University
Contact:
Tina Georgiou – Public Relations, Metropolitan College of New York
646-648-0694 | tgeorgiou@mcny.edu
Kathleen Goodwin – Executive Director, Marketing Communications, CIEE
207-553-4238
Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu – Assistant Director for Programming, CMSI
215-746-3845 | pesmieu@gse.upenn.edu
About Metropolitan College of New York –
About Metropolitan College of New York
Audrey Cohen, educational visionary and activist, founded the Women’s Talent Corps in 1964. Through development and training for new professional positions, the Talent Corps created employment for thousands of people. It became The College for Human Services, later Audrey Cohen College, and today Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY). For over 50 years, MCNY has continued the tradition of offering highly motivated learners an education that combines applied skills with professional knowledge to effect personal transformation and positive change in the workplace and community. MCNY is a not-for-profit, accredited, independent college. Full year-round offerings accelerate degree completion, and a unique approach to learning permits close integration of workplace activities and study. MCNY is conveniently located in Soho/Tribeca at 431 Canal Street, New York, NY 10013 and in the Bronx at 529 Courtlandt Ave Bronx, NY 10451. For more information on MCNY, visit www.mcny.edu or call 800.33.THINK.
