Marshall's Study Abroad Program: Quite Unappealing

A few years ago the Dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC) launched the College Dean’s Prize for the Enrichment of Student Academic Life. Peter Starr (see photo), Dean of the College, contends that he "has found that students are often the best originators of fresh ideas." As Dean, he values the input students offer. Therefore, he has created this opportunity to elicit proposals from USC students to enrich academic life and the educational experience. So here is mine: I propose renewing the Marshall School of Business’s study abroad program. Studying abroad gives students a unique business perspective that they would otherwise not learn from the Marshall School of Business (MSB). USC, as a whole, has four strategic initiatives intended to improve the university's status as a thriving research and learning institution: undergraduate education, interdisciplinary research and education, programs building on the resources of Southern California and Los Angeles, and internationalization. Through internationalization, USC hopes "to enhance future global opportunities for education, research, and career development;" it seems basic that offering study abroad programs contributes to USC’s goal for internationalization.

What is hindering USC from expanding on this goal is MSB's International Exchange Program (IEP), which appears lackluster and inadequate. Marshall maintains that the IEP “gives students the opportunity to widen their exposure to the business theories, practices and concerns of the international community, as well as immerse themselves within a foreign tradition. Students are absorbed into a different culture, meet people from other parts of the world, learn from new perspectives and take in exciting new surroundings.” Although true, it is also limited. The program only offers opportunities at fourteen business schools around the world in Australia, Hong Kong, Denmark, Hungary, Spain, France, South Korea, Singapore, Netherlands, Thailand, and the UK (see map), and it is literally an exchange; therefore openings to all sites are contingent upon the partner school sending students to USC, meaning that some sites may not be available during certain semesters. In order to permit more interested students into IEP, Marshall needs to significantly expand the list of participating institutions, and that list should include countries in East, Southeast, and South Asia, in Africa and the Middle East, and in Latin America.

There are still more limitations to MSB’s program. One in particular is that study abroad participants must pay the standard USC full-time student tuition flat-rate. True, financial aid packages still apply and may be adjusted according to your host program. However, "in addition to the USC flat-rate for tuition, students are responsible for all expenses including, room and board, books and supplies, meals, airfare, health insurance, application fees, passport and visa fees, and other personal and travel expenses." This increases total costs by thousands of dollars. What USC needs to do, in order to make this program more accessible, is provide funds to help defray some of the costs involved. The overseas experience ought to cost no more than a comparable period of study at USC. Even in these difficult economic times, resources can be found at least among USC’s alumni population, especially among those who had opportunities to study abroad. USC prides itself on the mystical force known as the "Trojan Network." This "network" provides students with opportunities to expand contacts and enhance their experience at USC. According to the Marshall School of Business (pictured), "the USC Marshall Alumni Association delivers the promise of the Trojan Family. The Marshall Alumni Association is specifically dedicated to the business school, with five alumni chapters and over 300 Marshall alumni volunteers who work together to deliver this promise." With over 68,000 Marshall alumni worldwide, it is a wonder why MSB is not utilizing its resources. Continually, another downfall about the MSB study abroad program is that a student is not guaranteed to be sent to the school of their choice. During the application process, candidates rank the list of schools, starting with their top choice. Due to the limited amount of spots available per school, a student can request to be sent to the UK, but will actually be sent to Singapore. Worse, if a student is not accepted into the school of their choice, there is no backing out. The contract is binding. With the tens of thousands of dollars being spent, students should go where they want.

Reasonable templates for structuring USC’s program exist. Other members of the Association of American Universities hit the bulls-eye when it comes to study abroad programs. Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business extends an array of opportunities for students wishing to study abroad, serving as a model that USC should imitate. The Tepper School currently offers admission to thirty-seven institutions in twenty different countries, including countries not currently offered by USC, such as Ecuador, South Korea, and New Zealand. Additionally, Cornell University offers unique scholarships specified to study abroad students only. Along with the general financial aid offered to students, such as government sponsored scholarships and aid, Cornell grants scholarships specifically to students planning to study abroad, greatly alleviating the financial stress that these international programs elicit. The most appealing aspect of most business schools' study abroad programs, such as the University of Iowa and the University of Maryland at College Park, is that the institutions allow students to apply to the international school of their choice, and if their application is rejected, the student is not required to attend some other international school. USC should follow the example set by these institutions in changing the binding study abroad agreement to non-binding.

Marshall should use these schools’ programs, and those of many other members of the Association of American Universities (see logo), as quintessential representatives. By simply furthering the study abroad program, USC would be a step closer in achieving its goal of internationalization. Internationalization is of growing importance and Southern California is at the hub of it, due to its relations with Mexico and Pacific and Latin America. USC could easily use its interactions with these countries to offer opportunities at these locations. Overall, USC should build on its strong base of alumni and its Southern California location to achieve its goal of internationalization and help bring its study abroad program to a level of accessibility and comprehensiveness that will put the institution at the top of the pack.