Content area
Full Text
1. Introduction
Study abroad activity has increased dramatically in recent years, both in terms of students coming to the USA and in terms of students from the USA studying abroad. The Lincoln Commission ([3] Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, 2005) has stressed the relevance of robust and affordable study abroad experiences in higher education to make study abroad the norm, rather than the exception. The numbers reported by the 2009 report from the Institute of International Education (IIE) confirm the increasing importance of study abroad; the number of US students studying abroad increased by 8.5 percent to 262,416 from 2008, and [7] Gardner and Witherell (2009) report that the number of US students studying abroad has increased by over 150 percent.
Additionally, there is evidence that employers are increasingly taking study abroad activity into consideration in making employment decisions. For example, more than 70 percent of US CEOs have served in senior positions abroad for two or more years ([17] US News and World Report , 2010), and [8] Kedia and Daniel (2003) report that the most important international skill sought by firms is an understanding of cross-cultural differences.
As a result of this increased activity by US students to study abroad, several studies have investigated the reasons for US students to study abroad. Being aware of the reasons students engage in a study abroad program and the type of student that participates in such programs can provide not only interesting demographics about the type of student most likely to pursue a more international career; it can also aid universities and other entities tremendously in designing their study abroad programs and in marketing these programs to the student most likely to participate in one.
The purpose of this study is to investigate student choices with respect to study abroad programs at a regional Southern university in the USA that has been actively involved in study abroad programs for over 15 years. A unique survey was utilized to identify various factors that can influence the marketing of such programs by universities that have recently established or are deliberating the establishment of such programs. Primarily, we seek to investigate the factors that are considered important by students in choosing short-term (ten to...