Author: Claire Baum
Cornell was once considered a leading institution in international education. In the past several decades, however, other great schools have outshined Cornell with their reputations as leaders in the realm of international affairs and education.
Yale, which was once characterized by the lowest study abroad rates in the Ivy League, has since revamped its study abroad programs and now boasts the highest study abroad rates in the Ivy League. The school has done so by incorporating a variety of remarkably successful programs, enabling students to engage in study abroad programs over the summer as well as over some breaks.
Cornell hopes to follow suit. President Skorton recently announced a goal to raise Cornell’s study abroad rates from 35% to 50%. That being said, many of the seven undergraduate colleges have restrictive requirements that challenge students’ abilities to go abroad. If courses fill up or are only offered during certain times of the year, students often stay on campus to complete the remainder of their coursework. Other factors such as finances, credits, and course availability all further contribute to the decrease in the initial 80% statistic representing freshmen who state upon entry that they intend to study abroad.
In order to increase its competitiveness as an internationally-focused institution, Cornell has been considering instituting a “Global Affairs” major. Fredrik Logevall, the university’s Senior Vice President for International Affairs, speculates that this major would first be offered only to students in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Arts and Sciences.
Many Cornellians have noted that their school’s “International Affairs” minor requirements are as demanding as those of most majors. Logevall has explained that Global Affairs would only be offered as “secondary major,” meaning that students must have another major in addition to it. Unfortunately, this option will likely not be open to the class of 2017 and older.
There is currently no word on the types of courses that might be offered under the major, although it is intended to appeal to students currently studying in areas such as Government, Economics, English, History and those with an interest in Public Health and Policy. Cornell hopes that this new major might spark student interest in study abroad programs, as well as other areas of international study.
