It is important to draw justification for a study abroad program from the college/university mission statement. Look for excerpts from mission statements and senior level administration for internationalizing the curriculum, developing students with a global perspective, preparing students for a global workforce, etc.

Write a mission statement for study abroad that makes it a priority to integrate international education services into the foundation of the college/university mission. A study abroad office mission includes an academic enhancement role and student support services. It is essential to include with your mission statement, some measurable intended outcomes for study abroad. Your statements of intended outcomes will guide your policies and practice.

It is also important to understand that every institution invests dollars and staff in endeavors that support and enhance the institutional mission and outcomes. Just as we see different levels of support for campus housing on various campuses, we also see different levels of support for international education.

Study abroad has long been considered an elective or “luxury” experience and thus has not been tied to the core values (and therefore finances) of most institutions. The closer you correlate study abroad with institutional priorities, the more leverage you will have in gaining support for your endeavors.

An example of a campus mission statement that is easily identifiable with education abroad.

Mission Statement:

We educate students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens in a global society.

And they go on to describe their core values as:

Academic Excellence, Diversity, Equity, and Shared Governance, Education of the Entire Person, Adherence to Common Ethical and Moral Standards Community Service and Global Citizenship, Environmental Stewardship.

This makes it easy to integrate study abroad into the core values of the institution.

Another example of a university mission statement is:

Our mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world.

However, some university mission statements require a little more work to integrate international education into the core values. For example consider the following mission statement

Our mission is to discover, create, transmit, and apply knowledge to address the needs of individuals and society. This mission is accomplished through instruction, which communicates the knowledge and values and imparts the skills necessary for individuals to lead responsible, productive, and personally satisfying lives; through research, scholarship, and creative activities, which advance knowledge and enhance the educational process; and through public service, which contributes to the solution of societal problems and enriches the quality of life in the State.

And yet other university mission statements do not lend themselves easily to integrating international education as a core value.

Our mission as a multipurpose public institution is to develop educated persons of inquiring, creative, and disciplined intelligence to be competent in careers that are fulfilling and to be socially responsible contributors to society. This University strives, therefore, to graduate people on the bachelor’s and master’s level who have had sound education in the arts and sciences and relevant specialized training built upon that base.

A study abroad office mission statement can also come in many diverse forms and visions. The following mission statement is an example of a diverse vision:

The Office for Study Abroad promotes opportunities for global education to all eligible students in order for them to gain an understanding of other countries, regions, languages, and cultures through direct overseas experience.

Some universities have taken the approach of being very explicit about their connection to the institution’s core values:

In support of the University’s mission to “promote the process of lifelong learning from both global and integrative perspectives,” the Office for Study Abroad offers international education opportunities to students through the University’s overseas study centers, international exchange partners, and affiliated organizations. As an extension of the University’s academic program, we promote academic excellence and provide access to high quality international education programs in expanding geographic destinations to serve a diverse student population representing a wide array of academic disciplines. As educators, we facilitate the academic, personal, professional, and intercultural development of students through the programs and services we provide.

And one more example of a carefully crafted mission statement that not only integrates international education into the university core value, but also sets criteria and objectives for policy:

We are a world leader in research, teaching, and public engagement. Many hands – at home and abroad – make it so, and many benefit. Study abroad is one of the ways in which our students and others build and benefit from our University’s international engagement.

Our mission is to provide and facilitate a range of study and education opportunities abroad consonant in breadth and quality with on-campus curricula, offered for short or long duration according to curricular objectives and in consideration of students’ obligations, at a range of costs and with opportunities for scholarship or subvention such that study abroad opportunity is available to all students in good standing. Attention to students’ health, safety, and well-being abroad underlies all other considerations.

Our intention is that through study abroad we and our partners prepare students for global citizenship, guiding them to a greater understanding of world and domestic cultures and encouraging them to share that understanding with their hosts abroad and communities at home; that students gain or enhance area, linguistic, subject, and cultural knowledge and competence; that students contribute to their host communities; and that students emerge wiser and more engaged citizens

Education is one of the most important things in a human’s life. It is not as essential as water and food, but it is much important as we use clothes to cover our body.  Education is a constructive factor in each & everyone’s life. It is our right to get it!

Education makes a worthy contribution to our lives, by making us responsible citizens. We get to know our history and culture through education and imbibe those values. Education opens our mind and expands our horizon. It enables us to understand our duties as a citizen and encourages us to follow them. Education spreads awareness, informing us about our rights and the services that we can access.

ABOUT INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

India’s higher education system is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States.
As of 2009, India has 20 central universities, 215 state universities, 100 deemed universities, 5 institutions established and functioning under the State Act, and 13 institutes which are of national importance.
Other institutions which include 16,000 colleges, 1800 exclusive women’s colleges, functioning under these universities and institutions.
Indian educational institutions by 2004 consisted of a large number of technology institutes. Distance learning is also a feature of the Indian higher education system.

Present economic standing of India – both in its limited successes and its myriad failures – is to a large extent a reflection of its education system. It takes justifiable pride in the successes of its handful of elite institutions of higher education in turning out world-class super-achievers.

Apsira for Education in India

www.apsira.com – One Stop Destination for anyone seeking information on Indian Education
Reliable Education information to describe & understand the Indian Education in minute details
Happenings about Education, across India are updated every now & then in news column
An Educational Portal to view the list of all Colleges & Universities by  Categorywise, Statewise, Citywise across India
Even about the Courses, Previous Year Model Question Papers, Educational Loan Criteria & the list of banks offering the loan

More than 35,000 pages in the portal

Gone are the days, when you had to visit official websites of different universities to choose the most appropriate option for higher education. If you are eligible to go for higher education, all you need to find is an online US university directory, which acts as an index to top universities across the nation. What are the most venerable functions of the best university directory?

Basic Function Of University Directory

The basic function of an online university directory is to include the names of top colleges, universities and other educational institutes to help impending students in selecting the most rewarding option. Apart from listing these educational hubs, an online directory must be capable of sorting these names on the basis of following significant aspects:

Number of courses offered.

Ranking of universities on the basis of reputation shared by them.

Efficient search tools and assistance in providing fuel to your decision.

Categorized listing on the basis of states and regions.

However, the usefulness of such an online directory should not be restricted as a database of apex education providers. Let’s explore some other concerning issues addressed by these directories.

Platform for Sharing Contents

An online US university directory must provide useful contents on various topics of importance from a student’s point of view. For instance, there must be articles related to:

Career and occupation options.

Most awe-inspiring degree programs.

Various job profiles existing in the market.

Tips and guidelines for adding worth to your educations and employment options.

Also, an online university directory must act as a folder for student resources like encyclopedias on various subjects, examination tips and samples, scholarship options available and other related contents.

Discussion Forum for Likeminded People

It is of great importance to integrate discussion forums with an online US university directory. This helps the students to take part in discussions related to degree programs, career options, various subjects included in curriculum and fun activities associated with university and college campus. Apart from these, the students can discuss admission procedures, rules of entrance examinations, as well as various social and financial issues like campus ragging and student loans.

Online Directory As Query Solver

These directories may turn out to be query solvers, where concrete answers are provided to different types of queries posted by students. There is no better place than these directories to get assistance in clearing doubts prevailing in one’s mind.

Thus, online university directories must operate as one stop destinations for different aspects of student life and not just a huge database of colleges and universities.

Community College education has many advantages; however, there are a few disadvantages of community college education that need to be mentioned. We prefer to look at the positive side of things, but choose to ignore the negative aspects. However, in case of community college education, the positive aspects far outweigh the negatives. In case you decide to take up community college education and plan to go on for further studies at the university level, you should be aware of the larger picture. Some of the disadvantages associated with community college education are discussed below:

1. Students, who plan to transfer to university after completing the two-year community college course, should ensure that the courses they are taking are compatible to those available at the university level. Most often, these are compatible, but there may be some exceptions that you should know about. In case you are planning to attend a University situated near your present community college, you can verify if they have some agreement that will allow the transfer of associate degree graduates to the university, easily.

2. Another disadvantage of a community college is that it does not provide residential accommodation to students. They are mostly commuter campuses, as they prefer to spend on academic development rather than on student housing. Residential campuses are convenient for students to participate in sports and other extra curricular activities that may be held at the college. Community colleges in the rural areas usually provide hostel facilities to their students.

3. Community colleges offer a limited choice for specific classes as compared to the classes offered by a university. You may also require an extra semester or an extra year to complete your associate degree. Universities, on the other hand offer a greater amount of flexibility and choice of classes, especially for the lower level graduate courses.

4. The libraries at the community colleges are much smaller as compared to universities. This therefore limits the students’ ability to do research. The simple reason for this is the fact that universities have a larger fund to spend on the libraries and research facilities compared to the community colleges. Universities can thus afford to have large libraries for the benefit of their students.

Many state governments are passing laws to make it mandatory for the colleges within the state to accept the transfer of community college credits, in a bid to retain qualified workers in the state. Some universities offer distance education programs to benefit those students who live far away from the campus. This enables a larger number of people to access the educational opportunities that may not have been possible earlier.

If you wish to discontinue your education at the community college level, you will be limiting your earning capability to a great extent. Community colleges serve as a springboard to university level education. Therefore, you should consider the benefits of transferring to a university, even though community colleges may offer a better learning environment.

Why do many people like to go on a study tour to UK colleges and Universities? What do you know about education system in UK? Like many other countries United Kingdom has developed and diversified education system foe school graduates and those who want to get further or higher education. The incredible number of colleges and universities offers thousands of courses and subjects to study. Thus, it is very important to be well-oriented in education institutions diversity to choose the right one which will suite your interests and further career best. First, there is a difference between further education and higher education. Further education is provided by colleges and gives a number of special qualifications such as Business Study, Engineering, Catering etc. They are specially designed for basic knowledge study, which is an integral part of further education and special subject study. Often further education students are able to combine a few subjects and get two or three certificates accordingly. Most further education students are adults who are above 21 years old. They prefer to study part-time and go to work while studying. Anyway, it is your choice whether you will study full-time or part-time. Usually part-time jobs allow further education students cover their tuition fees expenses. UK educational institutions are divided into state and private colleges and universities. Some decades ago state colleges and universities considerably differed from each other, especially in education funding system and costs. Nowadays both types of institutions have high tuition fees and smaller amount of grants, University Access Funds and student loans assistance programs. Universities UK provide a wide range of subjects and qualifications to study. Education programmes at universities include lectures, seminars, workshops, trainings and practices. Some of them even organize working experience for a year or less. High tuition fees cover access to university books, software and computers. Be aware of ALL university facilities before applying for study: you must know well what you will have for your big money! Although higher education requires much study, research, writing and reading the most study process is independent; lectures, seminars and workshops take much less time than self-research and study. Of course you will be signed your own individual tutor who will guard your study and control your results, but be ready to become a self-organized student who plans his education process himself. All universities and even further education colleges in UK have specially assigned consultants who provide all information which you need. They are happy to consult you even in your private matters. However, it would be better to check the university or college environment by yourself. For example, such aspects as social environment, college/university city or town society, availability of night clubs, sports clubs or beaches play a significant role in our life. City/town living standards will help you count your accommodation and living expenses; remember, you are going to spend a couple of years there! Each year both private and state universities reduce their financial assistance, state and university grants cover only about 10 percent of education fees. Find out as much as possible about financial aid availabilities, at least you can apply for student education loans system. This system is the easiest way for funding education in UK now. However, you should remember it is repayable and sometimes has high interest ratio which expands to 20 years for paybacks to be affordable.