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September 11, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SMITH TO SERVE AS HOME FOR NEW ORGANIZATION
ADVOCATING BEST PRACTICES IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.-Continuing its longstanding commitment to study abroad, Smith College will serve as home base for a new organization promoting excellence in international education.


The Forum on Education Abroad, of which Smith is a charter member, is an international association created to serve the field of education abroad. There are 125 members to date, consisting of educational institutions, consortia, agencies, organizations, and individuals that provide, direct, or manage educational opportunities in the field of education abroad.


Through the work of its members and outreach efforts, the Forum will address such issues as curricular development and design, the establishment of standards of best practice in study abroad programs, resources for advocacy at the campus and national levels and data collection and outcomes assessment of the value of international education.


Dr. Geoffrey Bannister, former president of Butler University will move to Northampton to serve as the organization's executive director during its first year. The Forum offices will be open in early October in the Gables.


Forum President Kathleen Sideli, associate director of overseas study at Indiana University, noted that Smith's generosity in hosting the Forum "indicates the college's continuing and firm commitment to quality education abroad."


"Smith College has a long and prestigious history in education abroad, being one of the first institutions in the early decades of this century to provide academically focused programs for its degree candidates," Sideli explained.


Adrian Beaulieu, Smith's associate dean for international study, noted that the arrival of the Forum at the college is the fulfillment of work by a number of people and represents another step forward in Smith's commitment to becoming "truly a world college."


For nearly 80 years, Smith has sponsored international study programs that combine rigorous academics with the excitement of discovering another culture. Originally intended as language programs, today they are open to students with a range of academic interests. Nearly half of Smith students study abroad before graduation-some for one semester but most for a full academic year. In addition to Smith students, female and male students from any accredited four-year college or university may apply for the year-long programs Smith sponsors in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.


Smith College is consistently ranked among the nation's foremost liberal arts colleges. Enrolling 2,800 students from every state and 55 other countries, Smith is the largest undergraduate women's college in the country.

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