More Providence College students are studying in more countries around the world than ever before through the College's Center for International Studies (CIS).

Under the direction of Adrian G. Beaulieu, dean of international studies, the number of junior students studying abroad increased from 145 during the 2007-08 academic year to 200 during this academic year. The students are in 23 countries on six continents.

Of the students, 13 are spending the entire academic year abroad, 82 spent the fall semester studying in a foreign country, and 105 are abroad for the spring semester. The spring study abroad students are in 10 countries on three continents.

The highest student enrollments by major are English, marketing, political science, history, and elementary education.

Since coming to PC two years ago from Smith College, where he served as associate dean for international study, Beaulieu said the CIS has undergone significant transformation. One noted change has been a focus on increasing geographic diversity as to where students can study.

He noted that many students were accustomed to applying mainly to study abroad programs in a European country. "We want students to think more globally and to consider programs in Asia, Africa, and Latin and Central America," Beaulieu said.

Other key changes have been finding more programmatic diversity and pairing students with programs abroad that are in sync with PC's curriculum, he said.

"We want our students to have the opportunity to take part in internships, directed research, and service-learning, in addition to the traditional classroom structure," Beaulieu explained. "The programs should be academically rigorous and integral to what students are studying in their major or minor at PC. We're in the business of education, not travel."

Beaulieu said roughly 19 percent of the junior class is currently participating in the College's Study Abroad Program. The goal, he said, is to have 30 to 35 percent of juniors studying abroad in the future.

"We think an international experience can contribute to lifelong learning in a significant, meaningful way," he said. "Studying abroad is really a component that transforms students."

International program also flourishing
In addition to the students studying abroad, Beaulieu noted that 52 international students and one exchange student from France are studying at PC during the spring semester. Of these, 44 are undergraduates and eight are graduate students.

These students represent 20 countries, including Australia, Botswana, Canada, Ireland, Nepal, Nigeria, New Zealand, Romania, and Vietnam.

Beaulieu said putting in an "infrastructure that can take care of international students after they arrive at PC," which includes the center's "welcoming program" in the fall, has been a goal of the CIS.

"We have worked hard to create a support network to make these students feel at home here and succeed academically at an American college," he said.