Rebecca Kohn, provost and vice president for academic affairs, represented Elon university as a plenary speaker for CIEE’s 76th annual conference, Nov. 8 to 10, in Paris, France.
Elon University Provost Rebecca Kohn recently participated in the opening plenary of the Council on International Educational Exchange’s annual conference in Paris.
Speaking to the theme of “Reimagining the Future of Higher and Global Education”, Kohn was joined by four other panelists: President Kenneth Elmore of Dean College; Jennifer Malerich, assistant vice provost of academic and global engagement at Arizona State University; Amy Stevens, vice chancellor for global experiential pathways at Northeastern University; and Ben Waxman, CEO of Intead, an academic branding firm.
Kohn and her fellow panelists spoke to three main topics, including the changing needs of students and demographic shifts following the pandemic, strategies for supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion within global programming, and the ways in which global education can be a solution for tackling broader institutional challenges.
Kohn began by recognizing Elon’s #1 study abroad ranking among doctoral universities in the U.S. for study abroad participation rates according to the Institute of International Education’s recently released Open Doors report. For the 2021-22 academic year, Elon had the highest participation rate in its history, with 88% of students studying abroad. Kohn added that at Elon, “study abroad is one of five experiential learning categories, along with internships, research, service, and leadership opportunities, which are designed to help students be career ready upon graduation.”
Kohn cited her own experience studying abroad in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, in Russia through Dartmouth College, recalling how living overseas prepared her for her future career as a biologist and university leader.
Thinking toward the future, Kohn expressed a desire to see more pathways for undergraduates to combine an undergraduate degree with a graduate program. “Why shouldn’t they also consider a graduate degree abroad, something that could be combined with their Elon degree?” Kohn asked.
Elon was additionally represented by Nick Gozik, dean of global education and assistant professor, who serves on CIEE’s inaugural International Programs Advisory Council. As a member of the Thought Leadership Committee, Gozik also served as a judge for the CIEE Student Sustainability Challenge.