CalAbroad is a group of UC, CSU, Community College, and Private Universities dedicated to advancing Education Abroad. Each year in the Spring, CalAbroad has a TownHall meeting This year, the meeting was on May 3, 2024 at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. Over 110 people attended this free event. During the program, each system of higher education in California, provided updates for their system.
Vivian-Lee Nyitray from the University of California Systemwide Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) talked about new UC system projects that enhance their website and make it easier for students to study abroad.
Jaishankar Raman from the California State University Systemwide Office of International Programs (CSU IP) talked about the diversity of those who attend, including a majority of First Generation students and he talked about the programs offered by the individual CSU Colleges.
Rosalind Raby, from CCIE, talked about the rejuvenation of programs at the community colleges with an emphasis on topics of importance that still have to be explored.
Lisa Loberg, from the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) shared updates with that sector.
Other presenters included representatives from Diversity Abroad, Forum, NAFSA and Region XII. Gary Rhodes shared information on the upcoming Olympics in Paris and the need for attendees to be more aware of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The morning program ended with a 3 Minute Lightning Presentation in which Attendees from each sector was invited toshare about an innovation/successful strategy that already exist using just 1 PowerPoint slide. The community college presenter slides follow.
After lunch, small groups were formed to discuss the following topics:
1. Supporting Growth in Study Abroad as We Continue to Recover from Participation Numbers Because of COVID-19
2. Increasing/Measuring the Impact of Study Abroad
3. Health and Safety, Including a Focus on Mental Health Issues for Study Abroad
4. How Colleges and Universities Can Develop Initiatives to Support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs)
5. Multiple Study Abroad Models: In-Person Study Abroad, Virtual Study Abroad, and Hybrid Models
Thank you all for attending: John Morris (Citrus), Claudia Acosta, Jia-Yi Cheng-Levine, Maritza Munzon (College of Canyons), Catherine Eagan (Las Positas), Lisette Rodriguez (Long Beach), Kathy Rodriguez, Leti Jacques (Mira Costa), and Sef Girgis (Riverside)