The number of white college students who study abroad is significantly disproportional to the number of minority students, especially African-Americans, according to a new study.
Mark Salisbury, director of Institutional Research and Assessment at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., is the head author of a paper published this month that pertains to the growing gap between white and minority students studying abroad.
According to Salisbury, the paper is part of ongoing research in the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, a group that checks on higher education promises to students.
“Higher education diversity is increasing, but the diversity in study abroad programs is at a dramatically slower rate,” Salisbury said.
Harald Leder, LSU director of Academic Programs Abroad, said he does see a difference in the number of white students who study abroad compared to minority students.
“It depends on how you define minorities. African-American students are very few [in the program]. Different minorities constitute a larger amount,” Leder said.
Leder said some of the more common minorities in study abroad programs are Asians and Hispanics.
Salisbury found the dominant marketing technique of study abroad programs nationally is stressing the importance of gaining a deep cross-cultural experience.
“White students who think that obtaining a cross-cultural experience in college is important are highly likely to study abroad. African-American students who think the same thing are not any more or less likely to study abroad,” Salisbury said.  
The data gathered by Salisbury and his team revealed studying abroad appeals to white students more because of the emphasis on acquiring a cross-cultural experience outside the national borders.
“Telling an African-American student you have to go across the planet to get a cross-cultural experience is like telling a native of Louisiana to go to New York City to get a good gumbo,” Salisbury said.
Salisbury’s conclusions from the research suggest adjusting the marketing techniques to reach the minority audience.
Leder said research shows minorities are in programs that are not conducive to studying abroad, like science and engineering majors.
“The rarest of all [students studying abroad] is a male African-American engineering student,” Leder said.
Katrice Albert, LSU vice provost of Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach, acknowledged in an e-mail that minority participation in the University’s study abroad programs is low compared to their white counterparts, but she encourages all students to participate as a critical part of student development.
“Many students of color may be discouraged from studying abroad because of the costs associated with tuition, program fees and living expenses. Similarly, there may be fear and anxiety related to studying abroad,” Albert said in an e-mail.
Jonathan Daisy, an African-American business junior, said he would not feel comfortable studying abroad.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving home and my family,” Daisy said. “I would feel out of place as a minority.”
Mike Wilson, an African-American anthropology alumnus, studied abroad in Sweden in 2003 and 2004 and is now affiliated with the Peercorps Network as an international project coordinator. Wilson said a possible reason why minority students do not study abroad is because of fear.
“There is a fear among some minority students, especially African-American students, that they will be met with racism that they cannot handle. They feel they are diving into a sea of whiteness, and they will stick out, and people will talk about them,” Wilson said.
Wilson said his study abroad experience benefitted him greatly.
“I thought that with a study abroad experience, I could potentially be a global citizen,” Wilson said. “It increased my confidence and my ability to interact with people of different backgrounds.”
Leder said he sees the importance of encouraging more minority students to study abroad, and he visits the African American Cultural Center to promote study abroad programs.
“We are aware that we need to reach out to those who are underrepresented,” Leder said.
 
 
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Contact Claire Caillier at [email protected]