Education Abroad Office History

Timeline

1960s

  • Earliest known reciprocal exchange agreement is established with Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany.

1970s

  • The Office of Education Abroad was started by Dr. Walter Kolonosky within the College of Arts and Sciences and provided service to the entire university.

1980s

  • The Office of Education Abroad (in the College of Arts and Sciences) joined the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) and began coordinating Fulbright applications.
  • The Office of International Agricultural Programs within the College of Agriculture signed agreements with Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITSEM) in Mexico, the University of Costa Rica, and Universidad Nacional de Asunción and Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, both in Paraguay.
  • The Graduate School coordinated exchanges to Justus Liebig University and Ludwig-Maximilans University, both in Germany and to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Zurich, Switzerland.

1990s

  • The Office of Education Abroad began reporting to the Assistant Provost of International Programs within the Office of International Programs, with the goal of providing support for education abroad programs throughout the university.
  • The Office of Education Abroad was moved from the College of Arts and Sciences into the Office of International Programs on the 3rd floor of Fairchild Hall.
  • Study abroad participation began to increase.
  • Kansas State University joined the Mid-America Universities International (MAUI) exchange program consortium.
  • Many study abroad scholarships were created, including the Vernon Larson Scholarship, the Barton-Dobenin Scholarship, and the Heather Stewart Scholarship, among others.
  • The Office of Education Abroad staff increased and services to students began to expand.
  • The following reciprocal exchange agreements were signed:
    • Deakin University, in Melbourne, Australia
    • Czech Technical University, in Prague, Czech Republic

2000s

  • Study abroad participation hits over 500 students per year for the first time.
  • The Education Abroad Mentors (SAM), a student group, was created with the goal of increasing awareness of education abroad amongst the student population.
  • The Education Abroad Office was brightly repainted, improving the atmosphere in the office.
  • The Education Abroad Office staff and services continued to expand, leading to remodeling and reorganizing of office space.
  • The first Education Abroad Fair was organized, showcasing all education abroad programs.
  • The Office of International Programs Education Abroad Scholarship was created, funded by the Student Governing Association.
  • The Education Abroad Office began monthly visits to the Salina campus to provide education abroad advising services.
  • The following reciprocal exchange agreements were signed:
    • University of Canberra, in Canberra, Australia
    • Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in Hung Hom, Hong Kong
    • University of Economics, in Prague, Czech Republic
    • Coburg University of Applied Sciences, in Coburg, Germany
    • University College Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland
    • Kansai Gaidai University, in Hirakata City, Japan
    • Kyung Hee University, in Seoul, South Korea
    • Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), in Puebla, Mexico
    • Voronezh State University, in Moscow, Russia
    • Linnaeus University, in Vaxjo, Sweden
    • Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Turkey
    • University of Hertfordshire, in Hatfield, England

2010s

  • The Education Abroad Office staff numbers continued to increase.
  • In collaboration with Career & Employment Services, a professional development workshop for returned education abroad students was implemented.
  • A new on-line application system was implemented, which increased the efficiency of processing education abroad program applications.
  • To provide further outreach, a Student Peer Advisor was hired at the Salina campus.
  • The Goss Discovery Scholarship and the Faculty-led Program Scholarship were created.
  • The following reciprocal exchange agreements were signed:
    • South China Agricultural University, in Guangzhou, China
    • Renewed reciprocal exchange with the University of Viadrina, in Frankfurt, Germany.
    • Yeungnam University, in Gyeongan, South Korea
    • American University of Nigeria, in Yola, Nigeria
    • University of Pretoria, in Pretoria, South Africa
    • Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, Scotland
    • University of Portsmouth, in Portsmouth, England