U. programs taking on international feel

Many programs at the University seem to be taking on a more international feel. The University, like other institutions across the nation, is seizing opportunties to increase international programs. In 1989, just as international programs at the University were beginning to expand, a faculty committee stressed the need to increase these programs to give a broader look at the world. And at the University and elsewhere, educators are looking at the position of the United States in the world with concern. "The U.S. may be a leader, but it remains a leader and intellectually strong only to the extent that we are not isolated," French Professor Stephen Nichols said last month. The concern now for Nichols and others is how the University, with diverse programs spanning 12 schools, can coordinate programs for the entire University. Unless the programs are better coordinated, he and others said, some programs will overlap, important areas could be missed and students might not be able to take advantage of what the University already offers. In the last two years, language requirements have been added for undergraduates in the Wharton School and in the Computer Sciences department of the Engineering School. Requirements also exist in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Nursing School. Experts say the language requirements are the first step to establishing a strong international program. The University took language study a step further with the establishment of the Penn Language Center in 1989. According to Michael Lenker, the director of the center, the Center's 35 offerings complement what is already available through departments and provides instruction in some new languages. For example, offerings this semester include Irish Gaelic, Yoruba and Lithuanian. The University also has an extensive program of institutional links -- faculty and student exchange programs -- with 93 universities in 32 countires from Belguim to Zimbabwe. But despite these strengths, many acknowledge that there are still areas where the University lags behind. Mentioned most often is the disparity between the number of University students who travel abroad and the number of international students who come to the University. According to the Five Year Plan report which focuses on international programs, in 1988 522 University students studied abroad while 2654 international students attended the University. The current freshman class contains 10.5 percent international students. The University is in the middle of Ivy League schools in terms of the percentage of each class that studies abroad. Approximately 22 percent of students in each class at the University study abroad compared to a high of 70 percent at Dartmouth College and less than 5 percent of students at Princeton University. Over half of the students who do study abroad travel on programs not sponsored by the University. Though officials say these programs are often valuable, sometimes it is more difficult for students to arrange credit for their courses. The reasons for students choosing non-University program vary widely. Joyce Randolph, the director of the Office of Internatiional Programs, said last month that students may hear praise about a program, may want to travel to a particular country or stay for a particular length of time. "Students may not have had strictly academic motives," added Randolph. To counteract this trend, more programs, many geared specifically towards students in specific programs in the University, have been created.

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