In National Report, Education Council Cites #KeepGlobalSmith

The American Council on Education recently examined how the pandemic would impact the future of international exchanges, and in its review, it took a look at Maryland Smith.

Among its inquiries, ACE dived into the pandemic’s impact on education abroad programs, finding among other things, that in the early months of 2020, many schools canceled travel programs to China and its neighboring countries, even while remaining hopeful that they could run programs in other parts of the world. However, by March, as the new coronavirus was becoming a clear pandemic, schools cancelled all or most programs for the remainder of the school year.

Soon, school officials would begin shifting their focus to virtual global and travel programs.

“All but two of the 17 survey respondents offered or planned to offer virtual versions of their education abroad or other international education programs,” ACE said in its recent report.

Nine of the 17 planned to offer virtual international courses. Virtual term exchanges would be offered by eight schools and virtual consulting courses would be offered by six. Meanwhile, six planned to offer virtual courses hosted by schools abroad.

At the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, the Center for Global Business continued its Distinguished Speakers in International Business Series, hosting the events virtually.

Faculty were offered an opportunity to incorporate the talks into their classes. The center also created the “#KeepGlobalSmith Grant” to “encourage innovations in global teaching and programming that give students opportunities to engage with peers, companies, content, and cultures around the world in new and exciting ways,” CGB Executive Director Rebecca Bellinger told ACE.

“The Future of International Exchanges in a Post-Pandemic World,” published by the American Council on Education, is available at www.acenet.edu.