Newsweek names University of Richmond a "hot college"
August 13, 2007
The Aug. 20 issue of Newsweek magazine, on newsstands today, features the University of Richmond on its annual list of the "25 Hottest Schools in America."
Newsweek named Richmond as the hottest college in the nation for international studies. In its annual college guide, Newsweek selected 25 universities that "offer top academic programs but are also generating extra buzz this year." Other schools that made the list include Cornell ("Hottest Ivy"), Harvard ("Hottest for Rejecting You") and Princeton ("Hottest for Liberal Arts").
"Any education without an international component is not an education for the 21st century," said University of Richmond President Edward L. Ayers.
Newsweek noted Richmond's 70 percent study-abroad rate among its undergraduates, who are "attending universities with local students in Oxford, Edinburgh, Prague, Milan, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Bangkok and many other cosmopolitan spots. The 3,000-student university has exchange agreements with more than 50 schools around the world and ensures that time spent abroad costs no more than time on campus. The faculty is strong in many areas, particularly business, science and leadership studies, but all students are urged to see the world."
The leading force behind Richmond's global focus is Uliana Gabara, founding dean of international education which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. During Gabara's tenure, Richmond adopted a comprehensive and integrated approach to internationalization. This means that courses and life on campus are as much a part of international education as is study abroad, and that students, faculty and staff are equal participants in the process.
During the past two decades at Richmond, the number of courses with international content and the number of faculty with international research, teaching and experience have all increased significantly. In addition, study-abroad participation has blossomed and the number of international students attending Richmond has grown from 15 to more than 200. Currently, international students represent more than 70 countries on campus.
Gabara, faculty and staff also have forged direct exchange agreements with more than 50 universities around the globe, making it possible for the university to meet the goal of providing affordable opportunities for its students to spend a semester or year abroad. At Richmond, the cost of studying abroad is the same as studying on campus. Participants receive full financial aid, a travel grant, health insurance, passport-visa costs and even gym and music lesson expenses, if they are not provided by the host university. Additional stipends cover some missed earnings from campus employment.
All successfully completed international courses earn credit toward a Richmond degree, so study abroad does not delay graduation. The university ensures that study abroad is not limited to the privileged few or students in a few majors because "regardless of what work our students will do, as citizens and professionals they will need to have global knowledge and experience," says Gabara.
Richmond's thriving exchange programs also benefit the home campus, creating interactions with students from partner institutions and degree-seekers from over 70 countries in classrooms, residence halls and various campus organizations. The university's Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC) program helps to overcome what Gabara calls Americans' "infamous monolingualism." The program offers classes in which students actively use foreign language skills and gain a perspective on the ways in which languages and cultures affect knowledge. LAC classes are taught by native-speakers, usually an international student, or American students fluent in the language.
In developing its annual college guide, Newsweek does not use numerical rankings. Instead, the magazine notes, "our list is a quick but colorful snapshot of today's most interesting schools. We've talked to a range of experts—admissions officials, educational consultants, students, parents, and college and university leaders—in making our selections. We've been particularly influenced by the views of high-school counselors, the people most in tune with what matters to the latest wave of college applicants."
For more information about Newsweek's "25 Hottest Schools" visit: msnbc.msn.com